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IN   THE   DAYS   OF  JEFFERSON 


BY    HEZEKIAH    BUTTERWORTH. 

Uaiform  Edition.    Each,  L2mo,  cloth,  $1.50. 


In  the  Days  of  Jefferson ;  or,  The  Six  Golden 
Horseshoes.     Illustrated  by  F.  T.  Merrill  and  Others. 

The  Story  of  Magellan.  A  Tale  of  the  Discovery 
of  the  Philippines.  Illustrated  by  F.  T.  Merrill  and 
Others. 

The  Treasure  Ship.  A  Story  of  Sir  William  Phipps 
and  the  Inter-Charter  Period  in  Massachusetts. 
Illustrated  by  B.  West  Clinedinst  and  Others. 

The  Pilot  of  the  Mayflower.  Illustrated  by  H. 
Winthrop  Peirce  and  Others. 

True  to  his  Home.  A  Tale  of  the  Boyhood  of 
Franklin.     Illustrated  by  H.  Winthrop  Peirce. 

The  Wampum  Belt  ;  or,  The  Fairest  Page  of  His- 
tory. A  Tale  of  William  Penn's  Treaty  with  the 
Indians.     With  6  full-page  Illustrations. 

The  Knight  of  Liberty.  A  Tale  of  the  Fortunes 
of  Lafayette.     With  6  full-page  Illustrations. 

The  Patriot  Schoolmaster.  A  Tale  of  the  Minute- 
men  and  the  Sons  of  Liberty.  With  6  full-page 
Illustrations  by  H.  Winthrop  Peirce. 

In  the  Boyhood  of  Lincoln.  A  Story  of  the  Black 
Hawk  War  and  the  Tunker  Schoolmaster.  With 
12  Illustrations  and  colored  Frontispiece. 

The  Boys  of  Greenway  Court.  A  Story  of  the 
F.arly  Years  of  Washington.  With  io  full-page 
Illustrations. 

The  Log  School-House  on  the  Columbia. 
With  13  full-page  Illustrations  by  J.  Carter  Beard, 
E.  J.  Austen,  and  Others. 


D.   APPLETON  AND  COMPANY,  NEW  YORK. 


He  played  a  minuet  for  the  Indian  chief. 

(See  page  12.) 


IN  THE  DAYS  OF  JEFFERSON 

Or,    THE   SIX    GOLDEN    HORSESHOES 


A    TALE    OF   REPUBLICAN    SIMPLICITY 


BY 

HEZEKIAH    BUTTERWORTH 

AUTHOR    OF 

THE    STORY    OF    MAGELLAN,     IN    THE    BOYHOOD    OK    LINCOLN, 

THE  LOG  SCHOOL-HOUSE  ON    THE    COLUMBIA,  THE  PILOT 

OK   THE   MAYFLOWER,    HIE   TREASURE   SHIP,    ETC. 


ILLUSTRATED    BY    FRANK    T.    MERRILL 


NEW    YORK 

D.     APPLETON     AND     COMPANY 

1900 


Copyright.   1900, 
By    D.    APPLETON    AND    COMPANY. 


"Mr.  Jefferson's  life  and  deeds  .are  now  the  best  text- 
books to  be  studied  and  re-studied  by  the  old  and  young. 
The  preservation  of  individual  liberty  in  this  republic  is  the 
only  assurance  we  can  have  of  our  nation's  permanence." 

Thomas  Donaldson. 

"Taken  as  a  whole,  history  presents  nothing  so  grand, 
so  beautiful,  so  peculiarly  felicitous  in  all  great  points  as 
the  life  of  Thomas  Jefferson." 

Judge  Dabney  Carr. 


PREFACE 


In  the  last  book  of  the  Creators  of  Liberty  Series  of 

historical  fiction  for  young  people  I  told  the  story  of  Sir 

"William  Phipps  and  some  of  the  remarkable  tales  of  old 

Boston  at  the  intercharter  period.     In  this  volume  I  relate 

a  story  of  a  friendship  formed  by  Thomas  Jeiferson  in  his 

boyhood,  which  greatly  influenced  the  opinions  which  he 

gave  to  the  world  in  the  preamble  of  the  Declaration  of 

Independence.      Thomas    Jefferson's    friendship    with    the 

young  political  enthusiast  Dabney  Carr  was  ideal,  and  is 

one  of  the  most  inspiring  examples  of  noble  association  in 

boyhood  which  we  have  ever  known. 

As  a  means  of  interpretation  I  have  retold  the  wonder 

tale  of  the  Wild  Man  of  the  Shenandoah,  one  of  the  most 

curious   and   remarkable   stories   of   early   pioneer   history 

in  Virginia.     This  mysterious  Algerine  doubtless  illustrated 

to  Thomas  Jefferson  the  nobility  that  is  born  in  all  men,  and 

also  the  truth  that  he  and  his  boyhood  friend  had  learned 

together  under  their  favorite  oak  at  Monticello  that  "  all 

men  are  created  equal,  and  endowed  with  certain  inalien- 

vii 


viii  IX  THE   DAYS   OP  JEFFERSON 

able  rights,  among  which  are  life,  liberty,  and  the  pursuit 
of  happiness." 

To  the  noble  friendship  of  Thomas  Jefferson  and  Dab- 
ney  ( 'arr  the  world  owes  a  debt  of  gratitude,  and  it  is  a 
pleasure  to  tell  this  story  of  true-hearted  life.  Quite  as 
attractive  is  the  character  of  "  Elder  *"  John  Leland,  the 
forest  preacher,  who  is  said  to  have  made  Madison  Presi- 
dent by  an  act  of  magnanimity,  and  who  presented  Presi- 
dent Jefferson  the  "  great  Cheshire  cheese." 

My  purpose  in  this  book  is  so  to  tell  the  story  of  Jeffer- 
son's early  life  as  to  illustrate  two  decisive  points  of  Ameri- 
can history: 

1st  The  early  experiences  and  habits  of  thought  out  of 
which  grew  the  twelve  immortal  line-  of  the  preamble  of 
the  Declaration  of  Independence:  2d.  The  events  that  led 
to  the  purchase  of  the  great  Louisiana  Territory  and  to 
the  principles  of  the  Monroe  doctrine. 

The  book,  like  the  other  volumes  of  this  series,  pr<  - 
for  the  most  part,  facts  in  a  setting  of  fiction.  Jefferson's 
early  years  in  the  Virginia  wilderness  were  quite  unlike 
-  of  Samuel  Adams,  or  of  the  Pilgrim-.  Penn,  or  Lafa- 
yette. The  "  Old  Dominion  "  preceded  the  orators  of  the 
Revolution,  and  the  planters'  home-  were  rich  in  int. 
ing  legends,  and  some  of  these  we  have  sought  to  present 
in  story  form,  especially  those  which  picture  early  republi- 
can simplicity. 

In  this  volume  we  have  aimed  to  collect  the  most  pleas- 


PKEPACE 


IX 


ing  incidents  and  legends  of  Jefferson's  home  life,  espe- 
cially those  of  his  early  friendships,  and  of  his  love  of  Na- 
ture, of  the  violin,  and  of  the  poems  of  Ossian.  It  was  in 
his  early  home  that  Jefferson  formed  his  opinions  that 
changed  empires,  and  it  is  as  "  Farmer  Jefferson  "  that  we 
present  him  here. 

H.  B. 

February  1,  1900. 


CONTENTS 


CFUPTF.R 

I- 

II.- 

III.- 

IV.- 

V.- 

VI.- 

VII.- 

VIII.- 

IX.- 

X.- 

XI.- 

XII.- 

XIII.- 

XIV- 

XV- 

XVI.- 

XVII.- 

XVIII.- 
XIX.- 

XX.— 


PAGE 

TnE   CABIN   PULLING 1 

Ontasette  and  tiie  seven  Chekokees        ....  8 

His  "  chum  " 14 

•Ontasette's  strange  story 19 

•The  Wild  Man  of  the  Shenandoah 25 

■The  great  oak  of  Monticello 32 

Ontasette's  farewell  to  his  people         ....  38 
A  visit  to  the  Wild  Man  of  the  Woods         ...  44 
-The  pledge  of  friendship  and  the  golden  horseshoe  .  49 
-Dabney   Care   and   Thomas   Jefferson  go  to  the   won- 
derful Natural  Bridge 56 

•The  man  of  mystery 62 

•The  turning  point  in  life 67 

-a  kit  story — the  seven  beasts  that  were  tamed  .        .  78 

Selim  makes  a  disclosure 86 

Slum's  remarkable  dream 96 

■An  unaccountable  lad — Patrick  Henry  ....  100 
a    most    notable    page   of    history — that    strange   boy 

AGAIN 109 

-Patrick  Henry  studying  oratory 114 

Dabney  tells   Jefferson  a  secret — Jefferson   reveals 

his  own  heart  to  Dabney 120 

A  holiday  night  at    Dabney   Carr's — the  happy   "  man 

in  the  tub" 125 


xii  IN  THE   DAYS  OF  JEFFERSON 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXI. — TWO   MORE   REMARKABLE   BOYS 136 

XXII. — Selim  of  the  windmill 145 

XXIII. — The  saddlebag  preacher 150 

XXIV. — Jefferson    surrenders  to  Dabney  Carr  the    great 

OPPORTUNITY   OF    HIS    LIFE 158 

XXV. — A    VOICE   IN   THE   WINDOW 109 

XXVI. — The  masterpiece  of  American  oratory       .        .        .  175 
XXVII. — The  principles    of    the   Declaration    of    Independ- 
ence begin  to  form  in  farmer  Jefferson's   young 

mind 178 

XXVIII. — The  writing  of  the  immortal   Declaration        .         .  185 

XXIX. — "  Who  shall  it  be  ?  " 191 

XXX. — '•  Troopers,  troopers  !  " 195 

XXXI. — A  restless  boy 201 

XXXII. — The  Indian  in  the  chimney 207 

XXXIII.— Has  he  changed? 210 

XXXIV. — Farmer  Jefferson  mounts  his  horse  and  goes  to  be 

inaugurated 223 

XXXV. — The  great  Cheshire  cheese 229 

XXXVI. — "  Republican  simplicity  " 239 

XXXVII.— Louisiana— the     march     through     the    "  Drowned 

Lands" 246 

XXXVIIL— "The  Louisiana  purchase" 250 

XXXIX.— Home  again 256 

XL. — Selim's  ride  in  a  sedan  chair 265 

XLI. — Poor— immortal •  270 

APPENDIX 

Chastellux's  description  of  Monticello 275 

Jefferson's  review  of  his  early  life 279 

Jefferson's  maxims 282 


LIST   OF   FULL-PAGE   ILLUSTRATION'S 


He  played  a  minuet  for  the  Indian  chief 
••I  raised  my  gun  to  fire"        .... 
The  golden  horseshoe  gleamed  in  the  setting  sun 
"Elder  Leland  "  mounted  the  rude  pulpit 

He  stopped  by  the  way 

Thomas  Jefferson 

"The  orescent  moon!" 


FACING 
PAGE 


Frontispiece 


28 
93 
155 
225 
240 
269 


IX   THE    DAYS   OF   JEFFERSON 


CHAPTEE  I 


THE    CABIX    PULLING 


The  house  stood  on  the  country  road  of  Albemarle,  five 
miles  east  of  Charlottesville,  Virginia,  and  commanded  a 
view  of  primeval  landscape  rarely  surpassed.  Before  its 
doors  lay  the  Rivanna  River,  and  the  green  valley  of  the 
Rivanna. 

It  was  on  this  clearing  among  the  scattered  families  of 
Indians  that  a  very  curious  scene  occurred,  and  in  it  we  will 
introduce  our  readers  to  one  of  the  most  notable  families 
of  the  history  of  liberty  in  the  world. 

There  stood  one  morning  in  the  door  of  the  tavernlike 
mansion  a  man  who  had  the  form  of  a  giant.  He  was  Peter 
Jefferson.  His  dogs  leaped  about  the  yard  as  he  came  to 
the  door,  and  his  little  boy  Thomas,  who  was  born  in  that 
house  on  April  13,  1743,  darted  under  the  pioneer's  arm 
and  stood  on  the  green  among  the  sycamore  trees  that  tow- 
ered among  the  outbuildings  of  the  place. 

"  Friday — Friday,  and  Saturday,  and  the  rest  of  ye, 
here,  come  here !  " 

The  voice  of  the  pioneer  rang  clear  on  the  sunny  air. 

1 


2  IX   THE   DAYS  OF  JEFFERSOX 

Three  negro  slaves  came  out  of  some  cabins  under  the  locust 
trees.  The  dogs  jumped  around  little  Thomas  Jefferson, 
and  one  of  them  stood  up  on  his  legs  comically,  as  if  looking 
for  further  orders  from  the  forest  lord,  Peter  Jefferson. 

"  Sar?  "  said  Friday. 

"  Sar?  "  :-aid  Saturday. 

•'  Sar?  "  said  a  young  negro,  whatever  his  name  might 
have  been.  The  dogs  seemed  to  be  intent  on  some  such 
inquiry. 

"  This  day  that  old  cabin  must  come  down." 

"  Yes.  sar,"  said  Friday.     "  But  how  is  it  to  be  done? " 

"  Never  ask  how  a  thing  is  to  be  done,  but  do  it.  Get 
some  ropes  and  grappling  irons,  and  put  the  grappling  irons 
over  the  ridgepole  of  the  roof,  and  pull  and  pull,  and  the 
old  cabin  will  come  rattling  down." 

"  But  that  there  ole  cabin  was  made  of  oak,  Massa 
Peter,  and  the  wood  is  as  hard  as  horns.  The  def  [death] 
ticks  have  begun  to  make  holes  there — I've  slept  there, 
Massa  Peter — but  you  can't  pull  down  a  building  like  that 
till  the  def  [death]  ticks  have  made  it  their  habitation  for 
a  longer  time  than  now." 

"Habitation!  " 

Friday's  eyes  rolled  at  this  great  word  which  he  had 
heard  from  a  traveling  preacher. 

"  Don't  stop  to  argue  with  me;  off  to  the  old  house,  dogs 
and  all." 

"  I  am  not  a  Samson,  sar." 

"■  Then  be  one — off,  dogs  and  all,"  said  the  pioneer  with 
good-humored  gruffness. 

"•  May  I  go  to  the  cabin. pulling?  "  asked  little  Thomas 
Jefferson. 


an  pin 


THE   CABIN   PULLING  3 

"  Yes,  yes.  See  that  the  negroes  pull  like  Samson,  and 
don't  get  hurt  as  he  did,  and  Friday,  look  out  for  Tom  when 
the  roof  comes  down.  It  will  fall  quick  when  it  takes  the 
cant." 

The  negroes  went  to  the  outbuildings  and  secured  some 
ropes  and  grappling  irons.  Then  they  passed  along  a 
bowery  road  toward  the  old  building,  which  had  been  a  sort 
of  a  wayfarers'  lodge  before  the  new  house  was  built.  The 
dogs  passed  after  them,  and  little  Thomas  followed  all. 

It  was  an  easy  thing  to  put  the  grappling  irons  over  the 
ridgepole.     The  youngest  negro  leaped  up  to  the  lean-to 
roof,  and  cast  the  ropes  down  to  Friday  and  Saturday. 
He  jumped  clown  and  joined  the  others. 
The   three  negroes  seized  the   ends  of  the  ropes   and 
pulled,  but  the  cabin  stood  firm. 

"Samson  himself  couldn't  move  that  oak  ruff  [roof]," 
said  Friday. 

"  Pull  again,  now !  "  said  Saturday. 
Pull  they  did.     Not  a  beam  creaked. 
"  Let  me  help  you,"  said  little  Thomas. 
"  No,  no,  Massa  Thomas,  you  are  only  a  little  shaver, 
and  couldn't  pull  a  pound.     You  may  do  the  grunting  for 
us,  and  we  will  do  the  pulling.     Now  pull  again,  all — pull 
hard — pull  with  all  your  might." 

They  pulled,  but  the  building  did  not  move.  Not  a  joint 
creaked  or  a  knee  bent. 

"  Three  Samsons  could  never  start  that  ruff,"  said 
Friday.  "  I'll  go  and  get  the  broad  axes,  and  we  will  cut 
the  thing  down.  The  house  is  petrified— turned  to  bone, 
like  old  Squire  Doolittle's  heart,  as  the  doctor  said." 

There    was    a    sudden    silence.      The    giant    form    of 


4  IN  THE   DAYS  OF  JEFFERSON 

Peter  Jefferson,  the  pioneer,  came  striding  clown  the  open 
path. 

"  Haven't  you  toppled  that  old  shell  of  a  cabin  over  yet? 
If  one  wants  anything  done,  he  must  do  it  himself.  Here, 
let  me  take  the  ropes,  all  three  of  them.  Now  stand  out  of 
the  way,  all." 

He  grasped  the  ropes,  and  then  threw  his  form  back,  his 
hat  falling  from  his  head.  The  roof  began  to  move  and 
the  joints  to  creak.  He  stuck  his  feet  into  the  firm  earth, 
and  pulled  again. 

Slowly  the  roof  bent  inward,  and  the  cabin  began  to 
bow. 

"  Now,"  said  the  Samson  of  the  forest,  "  here  it 
comes!  " 

There  was  a  swift  movement  of  the  roof. 

Friday  cried  out,  "  A  marvel  of  de  Lord !  " 

The  dogs  howled  and  the  negroes  ran  back. 

"  Heave  now !  "  said  Peter  Jefferson  to  himself  with  a 
Titan  effort. 

The  cabin  came  crashing  down. 

The  negroes  rolled  their  eyes,  the  dogs  barked. 

"  The  days  of  signs  and  wonders  are  not  past,"  said 
Friday. 

"  The  story  of  Samson  that  the  preacher  he  tell  am 
true.  I'ze  seen  it  wid  mine  eyes  in  Massa  Peter  to-day," 
said  Saturday. 

Little  Tommy  ran  home,  the  dogs  at  his  heels,  to  tell 
his  mother  the  story  of  what  had  happened,  a  tale  that  in 
his  imagination  rivaled  the  biblical  narrative  of  Samson. 
What  a  father  the  little  boy  had!  To  him  the  days  of  the 
Judges  had  come  back,  or  of  Hercules  and  the  ISTemean 


THE  CABIN  PULLING  5 

lion.  He  would  have  liked  to  publish  the  wonder  abroad 
— but  where?  Here  was  the  wilderness.  But  ah,  Thomas 
Jefferson,  you  will  one  day  pull  down  an  older  and  greater 
structure  than  this! 

Thomas  liked  to  follow  his  strong  father  on  his  rides 
through  the  Virginia  highways. 

There  was  a  queer  old  powder  house  or  magazine  at 
Williamsburg  which  had  been  erected  at  considerable  ex- 
pense and  with  great  ingenuity  by  good  Governor  Spots- 
wood. 

Thomas  had  heard  of  this  curious  building,  and  he  may 
have  been  told  that  it  was  founded  by  "  Tubal  Cain,"  which 
the  Governor  was  sometimes  called. 

So  one  day,  when  liis  father  was  going  to  ride  on  horse- 
back over  to  Williamsburg,  he  obtained  permission  to  ride 
after  him  on  his  pony,  and  when  they  came  to  the  powder 
magazine,  Thomas  asked,  probably: 

"  Who  was  this  Tubal  Cain?  " 

"  Governor  Spotswood." 

"  And  what  did  Governor  Spotswood  do  that  he  should 
be  called  Tubal  Cain?" 

"  He  dug  iron  and  made  forges  in  the  forest." 

This  picture  of  the  good  Governor  must  have  been  very 
interesting  to  a  boy  with  an  inquiring  mind. 

It  was  a  mellow  day,  and  the  octagonal  magazine  rose 
sunny  and  silent  with  iron-barred  doors.  Some  visitors 
were  there.  They,  too,  had  come  on  horseback,  and  their 
horses  stood  hobbled  by  the  bowery  roadside. 

Among  the  visitors  was  an  aged  planter,  who  wore  on 
his  waistcoat  a  golden  horseshoe. 

Thomas's  eye  fell  upon  the  glittering  ornament,  and  fol- 


6 


IX   THE  DAYS   OF  JEFFERSOX 


lowed  it.     The  gray-haired  planter  saw  that  it  had  awak- 
ened the  boy's  interest. 

"  You  may  well  look  at  that,"  said  the  old  man.  ';  What 
do  von  think,  my  boy?  That  was  given  to  me  by  the  Gov- 
ernor himself.  Mark  yon,  mark  you,  mark  you  " — and 
here  he  turned  around  three  times — "  there  is  a  bigger 
country  behind  the  mountains  than  lies  before  it.  The 
world  has  not  yet  seen  the  West — it  will  one  day  follow 

the  Sir  Knights  of  the  Golden 
Horseshoe.  That  will  be  a  great 
day.  You  may  be  in  it;  we  can 
not  tell  what  will  happen.  In  the 
Louisiana  land  lies  a  great  future 
for  America." 

Thomas  looked  much  pleased 
at  the  planter's  animation.  What 
did  the  planter  mean? 

Old   men   like    to   excite   the 
wonder    of   young    people.      The 
planter   saw   a   new   light  in   the 
boy's  gray  eyes,  and  he  stepped 
under  a  tree  outside  of  the  wall  and  lifted  his  cane. 

"  Boy,  c<ane  here.  Hear  me.  I  may  not  have  long 
to  tell  the  story.  I  remember  the  day  when  Governor 
Spotswood  and  his  men  rode  out  of  the  Duke  of  Gloucester 
Street  in  Williamsburg.  A  neic  America  began  then.  It 
was  August.  171-1.  The  Governor  and  his  followers  had 
started  to  explore  the  mountains.  Williamsburg  was  all 
out  of  d«.ors  that  day;  banners  waved,  children  ran,  old 
women  pressed  their  faces  out  of  the  windows.  Every 
one  seemed  glad  to  see  the  Governor  marching  forth  to 


laffi/lMzf 


THE  CABIN   PULLING  Y 

ascend  the  high  mountains  to  discover  what  there  was  under 
the  setting  sun.  He  saw  a  glorious  land  from  the  mountain 
tops;  he  recorded  the  name  of  the  King  there,  that  was 
all.      You  must  go  farther  in  your  day. 

"  Suddenly  the  Governor,  as  he  was  riding  away, 
stopped.  The  horses  and  mules  were  barefooted,  and  the 
mountain  sides  were  hard  and  rough.  The  mules  and  horses 
must  be  shod. 

"  This  was  a  sign:  preparation.  So  when  he  came  back 
he  founded  the  order  of  the  '  Sir  Knights  of  the  Golden 
Horseshoe.' 

"  When  you  grow  up,  be  a  knight.  The  West  is  the 
future;  never  forget  the  sign  of  the  Golden  Horseshoe. 
No  true  Virginian  should  ever  forget  that.  There  is  a 
society  commissioned  to  give  golden  horseshoes  to  young 
men  who  feel  the  spirit  of  the  times.  Perhaps  they  will 
give  you  one  some  day." 

Thomas  could  not  comprehend  the  larger  meaning  of 
such  suggestions  as  these:  "Tubal  Cain,"  "the  Golden 
Horseshoe,"  and  "  Louisiana,"  the  land,  rivers,  mountains, 
and  wonders. 

Williamsburg,  which  the  two  now  entered,  and  which 
Thomas  must  have  thought  a  second  London,  was  one  long 
street,  of  a  few  hundred  inhabitants.  His  father  visited 
the  stores  to  provide  things  for  his  home;  but  Thomas's 
mind  must  have  been  peopled  with  the  cavaliers  of  van- 
ished Governor  Spotswood.  A  golden  horseshoe  is  a 
very  brilliant  jewel,  especially  one  with  a  legend — this 
one  was  a  kind  of  star;  it  must  have  glimmered  in  the 
boy's  fancy.     Suggestion  means  much  in  early  life. 


CHAPTER  II 

OXTASETTE    AMD    THE    SEVEN    CHEROKEES 

Peter  Jefeersox  built  a  new  house  in  the  wildern  se 
This  new  house  in  the  forests  overlooking  the  valley  of 
the  Pdvanna  and  overlooked  by  the  blue  hills  offered  a 
table  and  a  night's  rest  to  all  wayfarers,  for  the  Vir- 
ginia home  was  a  place  of  unbounded  hospitality.  It  was 
a  democratic  hospitality.  All  honest  people  were  welcome 
there,  and  to  this  house  the  Cherokee  Indians  on  their 
journeys  up  from  the  south  to  "Williamsburg  found  a 
hearty  welcome.  The  dogs  frisked  about  to  see  them 
coming. 

The  Cherokees  were  the  great  nation  of  the  middle 
south.  Their  empire  extended  to  the  Mississippi  Paver. 
They  loved  t<:>  journey  and  to  live  out  of  doors.  So  parties 
of  these  Indians  at  times  came  wandering  up  from  Georgia. 
through  the  burning  Carolinas,  in  summer,  to  the  settle- 
ments in  Virginia,  where  they  beheld  a  new  people  and 
order  of  life,  which  to  them  seemed  like  encampments  of 
the  gods  on  earth,  and  of  which  they  carried  back  wonder- 
ful tales  to  their  camps  on  the  Savannah,  Tuskegee,  and 
the  Alabama. 

TVhen  new  houses  were  framed  in  Virginia  there  were 
rustic  festivals  called  "  house  raisings,"  and  when  the  first 


ONTASETTE  AND  THE  SEVEN  CHEROKEES      9 

fires  were  kindled  on  new  hearths  there  were  given  feasts 
called  "  house  warmings."  The  hospitalities  on  such  occa- 
sions were  bounteous;  there  were  served  to  the  people  an 
abundance  of  food,  and  hogsheads  of  cider  and  plenteous 
tobacco.  People  came  to  these  merriments  from  "  all  the 
country  around,"  as  sparsely  settled  neighborhoods  were 
then  called. 

At  these  rural  feasts  appeared  the  Indians — how,  no 
one  but  themselves  knew;  whence,  no  one  but  themselves 
knew.  How  the  news  of  the  house  raisings  got  to  them  was 
as  mysterious.  But  they  came,  as  the  birds  of  the  air  come. 
Flying  feet  must  have  conveyed  the  news,  for  some  of 
these  red  visitors  came  from  distant  rivers. 

But  they  were  welcome.  The  festivals  would  not  have 
been  complete  without  them.  The  chiefs  and  chief  men  of 
the  tribes  were  especially  welcome. 

Among  these  wandering  lords  of  the  sunny  forests  in 
the  Indian  towns  over  the  blue  mountains  was  Ontasette, 
a  Cherokee  chief.  "  He  was  always  the  guest  of  my  father 
on  his  journeys  to  Williamsburg,"  once  wrote  Thomas  Jef- 
ferson in  some  recollections  of  his  boyhood.  The  Indians 
must  have  regarded  the  giant  Peter  Jefferson,  a  man  hale 
and  hearty  with  a  word  of  cheer  for  all,  as  a  kind  of  a 
chief. 

Williamsburg  was  the  capital  of  Virginia.  Here  people 
had  grown  rich,  and  had  come  to  live  in  an  almost  baronial 
style  or  in  the  style  of  the  Cavaliers.  The  plantation  houses 
around  the  city  covered  a  great  extent  of  ground,  in  some 
cases  two  acres,  and  the  plantations  themselves  were  vast 
estates  of  thousands  of  acres.  At  this  city  was  held  a  kind 
of  viceroyal  court,  and  there  grew  up  around  it  a  prhni- 


JO  IN   THE   HAYS   OF  JEFFERSOX 

tive  aristocracy,  such  as  was  found  nowhere  else  among  the 
colonies. 

George  H  was  on  the  throne.  It  became  a  plan  of  the 
magistrates  of  the  Virginia  colony  at  Williamsburg  to  send 
delegations  of  noble  Indians  to  London,  and  to  present  them 
to  the  court,  in  order  to  exhibit  the  conditions  of  the  colon  v. 
Ontasette  desired  to  go  to  England,  not  to  be  exhibited, 
but  to  plead  before  the  throne  the  cause  of  his  own  people. 
Never  was  a  purpose  more  noble. 

One  evening  in  autumn,  after  the  great  crops  of  corn 
and  tobacco  had  been  gathered  in  and  the  bright  still  days 
of  fox  hunting  had  come,  Ontasette  came  stalking  up  to 
the  new  forest  house,  whose  light  shone  out  on  the  valley. 
He  was  followed  by  some  of  his  chief  men.  He  rapped  at 
the  door. 

The  family  were  at  supper. 

"  Who  is  there '.  "  asked  Peter  Jefferson,  in  a  resonant 
voice. 

"  I  am  Ontasette,"  the  voice  returned. 

Peter  Jefferson  rose  and  opened  the  door,  bowed,  and 
swept  back  his  broad  hand. 

'•  Welcome,  Ontasette,"  he  said.  "  Welcome  to  our 
table  and  fir-  ! 

The  Indians  were  served  with  an  evening  meal,  when 
Ontasette  sank  down  on  his  blanket  before  the  fire,  and 
said : 

"  Smoke  talk — let  us  have  smoke  talk.  How  far  is  it 
to  Lunnon  [London]  \  " 

The  question  drew  the  whole  family  around  him. 

"  Forty  notch  sticks?"  he  continued. 

"  Three  thousand  miles,"  said  Peter  Jefferson. 


ONTASETTE  AND  THE  SEVEN  CHEROKEES     H 

''  Twice  forty?"  said  Ontasette,  counting  two  fingers. 
"  Twice  forty  notch  sticks?  " 

"  More,  Ontasette." 

'Three  times  forty?"  he  asked,  holding  up  three 
fingers. 

Mr.  Jefferson  held  up  all  his  fingers  and  said:  "Ten 
times  forty,  and  ten  times  forty,  and  ten  times  forty,  and 
more  and  more  and  more." 

'  Then  Ontasette,  he  can  no  go  but  for  his  people.  He 
would  go  to  plead  for  his  people,  his  own  people." 

"How  many  houses  are  there  in  Lunnon?"  continued 
the  Indian. 

"  As  many  as  the  stars,"  said  the  pioneer. 

"Much  eat?     Ontasette  much  wonder." 

The  pioneer  bowed. 

"Much  drink?     Much  wonder." 

The  pioneer  bowed  again. 

"  Open  doors?    Much  wonder." 

"  Open  doors  for  chief  Indians,"  said  the  pioneer. 

A  row  of  apples  was  set  down  before  the  fire  to  roast, 
and  Ontasette  began  to  feel  the  comforts  of  a  civilized 
home  in  a  way  that  made  London  whose  homes  were  "  as 
many  as  the  stars  "  grow  more  attractive  to  him. 

"  Will  the  King's  house  be  open?  " 

"  To  Ontasette,"  said  the  pioneer. 
"Much  sleep?"  asked  Ontasette. 
Much  eat,  much  drink,  much  sleep,  and  open  doors," 
said  the  pioneer. 

"Much  wonder— Lunnon  it  make  Ontasette  much 
wonder.  Much  eat,  much  drink,  much  sleep,  then  Onta- 
sette he  go.     Will  the  sun  follow  him?  " 


12  IX   THE   DAYS  OF  JEFFERSON 

-  Yes,  Ontasette." 

"  And  the  raoon:1  " 

"  Yes,  Ontasette.'* 

-And  the  stars  f" 

"Yes,  yes.'5 

"  But  not  Lis  people." 

"  But  Ontasette  will  come  back  to  Lis  people,  tLe  ocean 
will  bring  him  back."' 

Little  TLoinas  Jefferson  became  as  greatly  excited  over 
tliis  visit  of  Ontasette  as  at  tLe  pulling  down  of  tLe  old 
cabin,  and  said  to  Lis  father:  "  I  wish  that  Dabney  were 
Lere  to-night." 

"  Your  heart  is  always  turning  to  Dabney,"  said  Lis 
fatber. 

TLe  cliieftain's  eye  followed  tLe  boy. 

"  Boy,  tLe  fire  burns  LigL — I  will  tell  yon  a  story.  It 
is  of  a  boy.     It  will  make  yon  much  wonder.''' 

"To-morrow,  under  tLe  tree*,"  said  tLe  boy;  "Dabney 
will  be  Lere." 

"  To-morrow  night  Ontasette  will  tell  tLe  boy  a  story 
by  tLe  fire." 

"  And  Dabney  will  come  and  stay  all  night  with  me. 
I  would  only  Lave  half  ears  without  him." 

"  You  and  Dabney  Lave  tLe  same  eyes,  tLe  same  ears, 
and  tLe  same  heart,"  said  Peter  Jefferson.  "  It  is  curious 
Low  some  boys  like  each  otLer.  It  takes  two  to  make  life 
happy  in  all  tilings.  We  find  onr  joy  not  in  our  own  but  in 
another's  heart." 

Thomas  pitied  the  distressed  Indian  cLief.  He  wisLed 
to  comfort  Lira.  How  could  Le  do  it  ?  He  suddenly  crossed 
tLe  room,  and  took  from  a  sLelf  Lis  violin. 


ONTASETTE  AND  THE  SEVEN  CHEROKEES     13 

The  violin  was  as  magic  to  him.  Mozart's  Court  or 
Don  Giovanni  minuet  must  have  had  peculiar  charms 
for  him.  He  tuned  the  violin  and  threw  the  haunting 
rhythms  of  a  minuet  upon  the  air. 

The  enchantment  found  a  tender  place  in  the  royal  In- 
dian's heart.  It  awakened  a  thrill  of  patriotism  for  his 
race.  When  the  music  ceased  the  Indian  lifted  his  hand, 
and  said: 

"  To  plead  the  cause  of  my  own  people,  me  go  away." 

There  was  nobility  and  tenderness  in  that  Indian's 
voice. 


I  HAPTEK  III 


:::-   ""  chum 


"  Dabxey  " — who  was  Dabney  of  whom  little  Thomas 
Jefferson  had  spoken  so  fondly,  of  whom  he  though! 
much  that  he  did  not  wish  to  listen  to  an  Indian  story 
without  him? 

He  was  Dabney  Can*,  a  boy  whom  Thomas  deemed  well 
nigh  perfect,  and  whose  opinion  of  him  never  changed. 
Little  Dabnev  Carr  was  the  heart  of  the  heart  of  little 
Thomas  Jefferson.  The  two  boys  loved  each  oth^ : 
ardently  that  they  had  all  things  in  common,  and  each  was 
happy  when  the  other  was  happy,  and  neither  had  content- 
ment without  the  other. 

Noble  companionship  in  boyhood  as  a  rule  will  make 
noble  men.  The  choice  of  an  intimate  friend  or  chum  is  a 
point  of  suggestion  that  colors  the  whole  life.  The  com- 
panionship of  the  Wesleys  and  vThiteneld  at  college  bnilded 
the  three  lives.  Arthur  Hallam.  whom  Tennyson  celebrates 
in  In  Memoriam.  died  young,  but  his  noble  life  inspired 
both  Tennyson  and  Gladstone,  and  helped  make  them  the 
powers  for  the  world-wide  influence  that  they  exercised  in 
their  generation.  He  who  studies  the  lives  of  Tennyson  and 
Gladstone — and  there  are  few  nobler  studies — reads  Arthur 
Hallam's  influence  in  the  ennobling  achievements  of  these 

14 


HIS  "CHUM"  15 

men.  Young  Zinzendorf  and  his  boy  companions  formed  a 
little  society  called  "  The  Order  of  the  Grain  of  Mustard 
Seed,"  and  the  harvest  was  the  Christian  civilization  of 
Greenland  and  a  part  of  the  western  islands.  Friendships 
formed  among  boys  for  good,  like  the  friendship  of  David 
and  Jonathan,  lead  to  long  and  sacred  memories.  This  is 
our  story. 

Dabney  Can*  had  a  wonderful  mind.  He  seemed  to  see 
what  other  boys  could  only  reason  out.  He  loved  every- 
body, believed  in  the  good  of  everybody,  and  helped  every- 
body by  his  faith  in  them.  We  help  every  one  by  faith  in 
good  qualities;  such  an  influence  roots  out  evil  tendencies; 
promotes  the  growth  of  what  is  noble,  and  casts  out  what 
is  unworthy.  Talk  to  a  tempted  man  of  his  one  good  qual- 
ity, and  that  quality  will  grow,  and  become  the  good  angel 
of  his  life. 

It  was  a  fortunate  thing  for  the  whole  world  that 
Thomas  Jefferson  in  his  boyhood  came  to  lock  hands  with 
Dabney  Carr.  Without  that  friendship  which  was  never 
broken,  Jefferson,  as  we  think,  would  not  have  known  how 
to  have  written  so  well  the  immortal  preamble  to  the 
Declaration  of  Independence. 

That  preamble  which  for  a  century  was  spoken  by  boys 
on  the  Fourth  of  July  festival  platform  every  year,  in  all  or 
nearly  all  towns  in  America,  and  which  was  echoed  by  the 
world,  grew  out  of  Jefferson's  life,  and  was  written,  as  it 
were,  out  of  the  ink  of  his  life,  after  he  had  formed  these 
principles  in  his  boyhood  under  the  influence  of  his  hand- 
in-hand  companion,  who  seemed  born  with  a  true  vision  of 
human  rights.  When  Jefferson  sat  down  in  his  room  at 
Philadelphia  and  wrote  for  the  emancipation,  not  only  of 


16  IN  THE  DAYS  OF  JEFFERSON 

the  United  Colonies,  but  of  mankind.  "  All  men  are  created 
equal,1"  lie  but  voiced  an  influence  behind  the  influence,  and 
one  that  repeated  the  teachings  of  little  Dabney,  the  boy 
politician  of  the  woods  of  the  Uivanna. 

Dabney  lived  among  grand  people,  in  the  "  Old  Domin- 
ion." as  the  territory  was  called,  because  Virginia  had  been 
true  to  Charles  in  Cromwell's  time,  and  had  invited  the 
exiled  monarch  to  come  over  the  sea  and  be  her  King. 

But  Dabney  cared  little  for  the  court  and  Cavaliers 
and  the  fine  estates  that  had  grown  tip  in  the  Old  Dominion. 
He  wanted  everybody  to  be  free  and  happy,  and  saw  the 
time  coming  when  all  men  should  be  kings.  He  was  a  child 
prophet,  or  seems  to  have  been.  It  hurt  his  heart  t'  - 
anything  injured,  even  a  beast  or  bird.  He  not  only  hived 
every  one,  and  helped  every  one,  but  plead  every  one's 
cause. 

AYhere  was  there  another  boy  with  such  ideas.  whose 
heart  went  out  to  everybody  1  He  found  such  a  spirit  in 
Thomas  Jefferson,  and  the  two  pledged  their  friendship  for 
each  other,  and  began  to  roam  the  roads  of  the  mountains 
and  valleys  together,  and  to  talk  of  all  that  they  would  like 
to  preach  to  the  world  and  to  do  for  the  world. 

Thomas's  father,  the  giant  Peter  Jefferson,  had  the 
same  spirit.  He  loved  justice,  and  was  ready  to  defend 
any  man's  rights.  The  mother  of  Jefferson  was  a  noble 
woman,  but  she  belonged  to  polite  society,  and  to  a  gay 
class  of  people  who  followed  the  maimers  of  the  English 
Cavaliers.  Young  Jefferson  would  be  soon  tempted  to  fol- 
low either  the  little  world  of  fashion  at  the  capital  of  the 
Virginia  wilderness  or  the  spirit  of  little  Dabney  Carr. 
"Which  would  it  be  I 


HIS   "CHUM"  17 

He  would  do  both  for  a  ■  time,  under  influence.  He 
would  wear  velvets,  silk  hose,  and  silver  buckles;  he  would 
play  the  fiddle,  sing,  and  dance,  be  a  beau  with  no  little 
vanity;  but  would  such  a  life  satisfy  him,  after  listening  to 
the  thoughts  of  the  boy  orator,  little  Dabney,  who  saw 
what  every  one  owes  to  mankind?     We  shall  see. 

In  the  early  Virginia  morning,  a  musical  morning  in 
summer,  when  a  thousand  birds  sang  in  the  woods,  but  one 
now  of  cawing  jays  and  falling  leaves,  Thomas  Jefferson's 
pony's  legs  flew  over  the  rude  forest  ways,  and  came  to  the 
home  of  Dabney  and  stopped  before  the  door. 

Dabney  saw  him  coming,  and  ran  to  meet  him. 

"  O  Dabney,  Dabney,"  said  Thomas,  "  come  home  with 
me!  What  do  you  think?  Ontasette  has  come  with  his 
warriors!  You  should  see  them  all,  plumes  and  blankets 
and  shakings  of  shells!  He  is  a  lord.  He  is  going  to  tell  a 
story  to-night  by  the  fire.  He  began  to  tell  the  story  last 
night,  but  I  asked  him  before  all  the  people  to  wait  until 
you  came.     It  is  a  story  of  a  boy." 

Dabney's  eyes  glowed.  The  coming  of  a  circus  to  a 
boy  of  a  later  period  would  not  have  been  more  of  a 
wonder. 

Ontasette?  Dabney  had  heard  of  the  tall  Cherokee. 
He  believed  in  Indians.  He  wished  to  see  the  Indians  grow 
in  the  knowledge  of  all  that  is  good  and  become  mighty 
men,  brothers  of  the  white  people. 

He  had  heard  of  a  plan  of  the  seven  noble  Indians  to 
go  to  England  to  plead  the  cause  of  their  race.  This  filled 
his  heart  with  delight.  He  had  a  vivid  imagination.  He 
dreamed  of  the  wonder  that  these  Indians  would  feel  when 
they  saw  great  London,  heard  the  bells  ringing,  and  were 


18  IX   THE   DAYS   OF   JEFFERSON 

welcomed  by  King  George  II  and  his  brilliant  court.     He 
imagined  the  King  would  receive  their  petition. 

Dabney  ran  back  to  the  house  for  a  word  with  hi; 
parents,  and  then  the  two  boys  hurried  back  to  Peter  Jef- 
ferson's, the  one  riding  behind  the  other,  and  holding  him 
by  the  shoulder.  The  pony  himself  seemed  to  be  a  chum 
to  them,  and  to  make  three,  for  Thomas  Jefferson  loved 
horses,  as  well  his  violin.  He  always  had  a  favorite  horse. 
He  early  made  friendships  with  noble  animals  as  well  as 
noble  people.  He  was  proud  of  his  pony,  and  his  pony  was 
proud  of  him.  The  two  boys  and  the  pony  were  alike  happy 
on  this  crisp  morning.  The  pony  was  carrying  the  "  pre- 
amble "  then,  though  the  boys  knew  it  not.  They  were 
now  going  to  hear  a  story  by  an  Indian  lord,  by  a  great  fire 
that  would  be  kindled  on  the  hearth  of  giant  Peter  Jef- 
ferson. 


CHAPTER  IV 


ONTASETTE  S  STRANGE  STORY 


There  was  a  notable  gathering  around  the  great  hearth 
of  Peter  Jefferson  that  night.  Mr.  Jefferson  himself  as 
well  as  Thomas  made  intimate  friends — he  went  neighbor- 
ing. At  one  period  of  his  life  his  favorite  neighbor,  a  lusty 
planter,  visited  him  every  week,  and  he  returned  the  visit 
as  often,  and  sometimes  remained  overnight  at  the  agree- 
able planter's  house. 

In  those  days  of  "  neighboring  "  two  men  as  well  as  two 
boys  would  become  brothers  to  each  other.  Such  intimacies 
are  not  common  now  in  associated  life,  but  they  were  not 
uncommon  then,  when  one  planter  would  find  in  another  a 
companion  and  adviser  in  all  he  thought  and  did.  Such  inti- 
macies did  not  make  the  good  wives  jealous;  they  too  made 
them  among  themselves.  "  Neighboring  "  was  one  of  the 
charms  of  scattered  provincial  society. 

Peter  Jefferson  had  brought  his  heart's  brother,  the 
planter,  over  to  hear  Ontasette's  story.  Mrs.  Jefferson,  one 
of  the  most  active  and  lovely  women  of  the  province,  had 
also  invited  her  friends  to  meet  the  Indian  chief.  The 
overseers  gathered  in  the  great  room  with  these  friendly 
neighbors,  and  the  colored  house  servants  were  ready  to 
listen  at  the  doors. 

3  19 


■_  IX  THE   DATS   OF  .JEFFERSON 

The  neighbors  talked  of  the  old  times  of  Captain  John 
Smith,  and  of  Bacon  and  his  men.  A  pile  of  pine  knots 
and  cones  had  been  gathered  by  the  fire,  and  each  neighbor 
as  he  was  about  to  speak  threw  a  pine  knot  or  cone  on  the 
fire,  and  talked  as  it  blazed  up  and  sent  a  gleam  through 
the  rooni.  The  dogs  started  up  at  these  movements,  and 
seemed  to  wait  for  the  wonder  talks  like  the  rest. 

In  the  midst  of  the  friendly  discourse  Ontasette,  lying 
beside  the  fire,  suddenly  raised  his  arm.  All  the  men  threw 
pine  cones  on  the  fire:  there  was  a  crackling  and  a  high  red 
gleam;  then  all  was  still. 

"  In  the  Cherokee  land,"  said  the  chief.  "  we  Indians 
meet  in  lodges;  we  hold  up  torches  and  tell  tales.  "When 
the  torch  is  burnt  out,  the  tale  is  done.  The  torch  never 
burns  again;  it  goes  away,  and  it  never  comes  again.  ^Ve, 
I  .  are  torches — the  story-teller,  the  story — as  well  as  the 
light.  VTe  go  away,  we  change  as  the  torches  do  into  smoke, 
and  the  smoke  changes  into  some  form  that  we  can  not  see, 
but  we  can  breathe  it  after  it  has  gone.  It  goes  to  Xature, 
and  it  builds  up  other  forms.  I  wonder  if  so  goes  out  the 
torch  of  life.    VTe  can  not  see.    TTe  come,  we  go. 

'*  You  tell  the  story  of  the  Indian  girl  Pocahontas  who 
saved  the  life  of  the  great  Captain  Smith.  'Bright  Stream' 
the  Indians  called  her  by  the  woodland  council  fires.  She 
married  the  young  planter,  and  went  away  over  the  sea 
where  no  Indian  canoe  has  ever  gone.  I  dream  of  the  great 
water  where  no  canoes  go.  They  tell  me  at  "Williamsburg 
to  gc  over  the  sea.  Ontasette  may  go.  Lunnon  [London] 
is  not  beyond  the  stars — Ontasette  may  go  over  the  sea." 

He  paused,  and  the  men  threw  pine  knots  and  cones  on 
the  fire,  and  the  dogs  started  up. 


ONTASETTE'S  STRANGE  STORY  21 

"  You  tell  stories,"  he  continued,  "  about  that  Indian 
girl  who  was  a  flying  cloud,  a  wandering  bird,  the  light  of 
river  chieftain's  heart.  Listen  to  Ontasette.  We  do  not 
tell  that  tale  so.  It  was  a  boy  that  first  saved  the  life  of  the 
great  captain." 

He  paused  again.  Here  was  a  new  view  of  the  adven- 
tures of  Captain  John  Smith  in  the  colony.  Was  the  hero 
of  the  Turkish  wars,  the  commissioner  of  King  James,  the 
"  father  of  America,"  twice  saved  from  death  by  a  young 
Indian? 

Again  the  red  flames  shot  up  from  the  burning  cones. 

Ontasette  continued: 

"  Your  great  white  Captain  John  Smith  went  among  the 
Chickahominies.  He  had  heard  of  the  long  river  Chicka- 
hominy.  His  King  over  the  sea,  beyond  the  paddles  of  the 
canoes,  had  ordered  him  to  travel  over  the  country  and  to 
break  the  waters  of  new  streams. 

"  He  wanted  a  guide,  and  there  came  to  him  an  Indian 
boy,  little  Talking  Wind.  And  the  great  captain  said  to 
little  Talking  Wind,  '  Will  you  guide  me  honestly,  and  will 
you  be  true  ? '  And  the  little  Indian  boy  told  the  great 
captain  that  he  would  guide  him  honestly  and  be  true. 
The  heart  of  a  little  Indian  is  always  true.  The  Indian 
grows  cunning;  after  he  has  seen  the  white  man  much  he 
grows  so,  but  his  young  heart  is  true.  His  foot  is  as  true  as 
the  wing  of  the  bird  in  the  air  to  the  nest  in  the  tree. 

"  The  great  captain  took  two  white  men  with  him, 
and  hired  two  Indians  to  paddle  his  boat,  and  they  all 
started  to  see  the  river  Chickahominy — where  it  came 
from,  where  it  went  to,  what  it  was  all  about,  so  that  the 
great  captain  might  write  a  letter  to  the  King, 


22  IN  THE  DAYS  OF  JEFFERSON 

"  Talking  Wind  was  a  favorite  of  the  tribe.  He  was 
bright,  lie  was  nimble.  He  had  wandered  the  forest  ways 
with  the  warriors,  he  had  tossed  pine  cones  on  the  fires  of 
the  lodges.  He  was  handsome,  and  wore  plumes  of  the  sea 
birds. 

"  The  great  captain  left  his  men  at  a  point  on  the  shore, 
and  he  said: 

"  '  Talking  Wind  is  light,  his  feet  are  swift,  and  his 
hands  make  the  paddles  go.' 

"  And  the  boy  said :  '  I  am  light,  my  feet  are  swift,  and 
I  make  the  paddles  fly.' 

"  The  great  captain  said :  '  The  river  is  shallow  now.  I 
will  take  a  light  boat,  and  Talking  "Wind  shall  paddle 
for  me.' 

"  He  commanded  the  men  not  to  leave  the  large  boat 
until  he  should  come  back,  and  then  he  and  little  Talking- 
Wind  went  away. 

"  The  men  he  had  left  did  not  obey  the  great  captain. 
They  went  on  shore  and  built  a  fire. 

"  A  company  of  Indians  found  them  there  in  camp,  and 
they  killed  the  white  men  and  then  went  in  pursuit  of  the 
great  captain  to  kill  him. 

"  There  was  an  Indian  town  up  the  stream  called  Orpax. 
Here  the  great  captain  landed,  and  began  to  journey  with 
little  Talking  Wind  through  the  woods. 

"  The  Indians  who  had  killed  the  two  white  men  that 
the  great  captain  had  left  behind  followed  them,  stealing 
along  after  them  softly — softly  like  the  lynxes  after  their 
prey. 

"  Suddenly  the  great  captain  heard  a  sharp  voice  in 
the  air.      It  was  an  arrow.      Then  there  was  a  flight  of 


ONTASETTE'S  STRANGE  STORY  23 

arrows,  like  hawks'  wings.  The  bushes  stirred  behind 
him. 

"  Then  little  Talking  Wind,  he  say:  '  They  are  my 
people;  they  will  not  shoot  me.  They  will  kill  you.  Let 
me  leap  up  on  your  shoulders,  tie  me  on  to  your  back  and 
run.     They  will  not  shoot  at  me.' 

"  The  great  captain  tied  Talking  Wind  on  to  his  back 
by  a  rope  around  his  arm,  and  ran,  and  the  Indians  would 
not  shoot  at  little  Talking  Wind.  Some  people  say  that  the 
captain  he  compel  little  Talking  Wind  to  mount  his  arm. 
That  would  not  be  like  true  chief — no,  no!    'No,  no! 

"  The  great  captain  ran  into  the  thick  swamp  and  sank 
into  the  mud,  and  the  Indians  found  him  there.  They  did 
not  kill  him,  but  carried  him  to  their  chief.  Then  the  girl 
whom  you  call  Pocahontas  saved  him  again.  But  the  boy 
saved  him  first." 

There  was  a  quick  throwing  of  pine  knots  on  to  the  fire. 

"  I  would  like  to  have  seen  the  little  Indian  boy  covering 
the  captain,"  said  Thomas  Jefferson,  "  and  the  captain  run- 
ning, and  the  Indians  following  him,  but  holding  their  bows. 
How  must  the  boy  have  felt !  " 

"  I  can  see  them  in  my  mind,"  said  Dabney.  "  The 
boy  was  a  living  shield.  He  was  willing  to  be  made  a  sacri- 
fice— a  living  sacrifice  on  a  living  altar — I  never  heard  of 
a  story  like  that.  I  would  like  to  have  met  that  Indian 
boy."  ' 

"  How  would  you  like  to  have  been  that  Indian  boy?  " 
asked  Peter  Jefferson. 

Ontasette  shrugged  his  shoulders  with  an  ougli.  One 
of  the  dogs  started  up  and  howled,  as  though  he  understood 
the  import  of  the  story.     The  other  dogs  did  the  like,  when 


24  IX   THE  DAYS  OF  JEFFERSON 

all  the  company  burst  into  merry  laughter,  and  Peter  Jef- 
ferson said: 

"  That  was  a  good  story,  and  I  hope  it  was  true.  Tom- 
my, bring  your  fiddle  now." 

Thomas  Jefferson  could  handle  the  bow,  when  a  boy.  - 
dexterously  that  he  had  become  a  wonder  as  a  musician 
in  all  the  country  round. 

He  played  The  Flowers  of  the  Forests  for  the  merry 
company.  Hot  drinks  were  seryed,  apples  were  roasted. 
The  hot  and  smoky  atmosphere  of  the  great  room  made  all 
sleepy  at  last,  and  the  company  found  rest  in  the  many 
chambers. 

They  long  discussed  the  question,  "  Did  the  Indian  boy 
offer  himself  to  Captain  Smith  as  a  hying  shield,  or  did  the 
captain  compel  him  to  be  one  -.  " 


CHAPTER  V 

THE  WILD  MAN  OF  THE  SHENANDOAH 

In  the  midst  of  this  discussion  a  loud  rap  was  heard  at 
the  door.  Peter  Jefferson  answered  the  call,  and  two  men 
appeared,  one  of  whom  was  a  hunter  in  the  Shenandoah 
and  whom  Mr.  Jefferson  had  met  at  Staunton,  the  principal 
town  of  the  neighboring  county  of  Augusta.  The  counties 
of  Augusta  and  Albemarle  were  separated  by  the  Blue 
Ridge.     Staunton  was  the  county  seat  of  Augusta. 

"  Welcome,"  said  Peter  Jefferson,  with  his  usual  hos- 
pitality. "  I  have  met  you  beyond  the  mountains.  You 
have  brought  a  stranger,  as  I  see.    You  are  both  welcome." 

It  was  a  cold,  crisp  evening,  and  the  visitors  drew  near 
the  fire,  and  stood  before  it.  The  company  made  way  for 
them  as  they  did  so,  throwing  pine  cones  on  the  living  coals, 
causing  showers  of  red  sparks  to  dance  amid  the  crane  and 
pot  hooks. 

But  each  one  stared  at  the  stranger  as  he  moved  aside. 
~Ro  one  had  ever  seen  such  a  person  as  that  before. 

The  hunter  of  the  Shenandoah  led  him  to  the  fire,  and 
said: 

"Yes,  colonel,  I  have  brought  a  stranger  with  me;  a 
stranger  to  me,  and  a  stranger  to  the  world,  I  would  say, 
if  he  had  not  a  human  form.     I  never  knew  that  any  such 

25 


26  DJ   THE   DAYS   OF  JEFFERSON 

person  as  he  was  to  be  found  on  this  planet,  and  I  sometimes 
think  he  must  have  come  down  to  this  world  from  some 
other  world  than  this.     Look  at  him." 

The  hunter  of  the  Shenandoah  threw  off  a  rude  cape 
of  skins  from  the  stranger's  shoulders,  and  an  amazing  figure 
presented  itself. 

He  was  a  brown  man,  but  was  not  an  Indian,  nor  a 
negro.  His  hair  was  black  and  unkempt,  his  beard  was 
very  long,  and  his  feet  were  wrapped  in  rags.  On  his  head 
was  a  deep  scar.  He  wore  a  linsey  tunic  and  leather  leg- 
gings. 

There  was  silence  in  the  room.  Ontasette  started  up, 
faced  the  stranger,  and  looked  at  him  with  superstitious 
eyes. 

The  hunter  of  the  Shenandoah  removed  the  hat  from 
the  brow  of  this  strange  being. 

"  He  is  not  a  beast,  you  see,"  said  he.  "  He  is  a  wild 
man." 

The  man  of  the  woods  was  indeed  not  a  beast.  His  fore- 
head was  high,  and  the  upper  part  of  his  face  was  very  in- 
telligent ami  beautiful.  Dressed  in  a  costume  of  high  civi- 
lization he  would  have  looked  noble.  As  the  hunter  re- 
moved the  man's  hat,  the  latter  bowed. 

"What  is  your  friend's  name?"  asked  Peter  Jefferson. 

"  For  that  matter,  colonel,  you  know  as  well  as  I.  He 
says  '  Selim.'  and  I  call  him  '  Selim.'  " 

"What  language  does  he  speak?"  asked  Mr.  Jefferson. 

"  I  do  not  know."  said  the  hunter.  "  I  never  heard  such 
a  tongue  before,  nor  has  any  one  at  Staunton.  That  is  what 
brings  me  here.  I  was  told  that  Ontasette  and  his  men 
were  crossing  the  mountains  on  their  way  to  Williamsburg, 


THE   WILD   MAN  OP  THE  SHENANDOAH  27 

and  I  knew  that  he  would  stop  here.  So  I  have  followed 
him  here,  hoping  that  he  might  be  able  to  talk  with  the 
man." 

"  But  this  is  all  very  strange,"  said  the  colonel;  "  where 
did  you  first  meet  the  stranger  ?  " 

"  'Tis  a  curious  story,  the  strangest  event  of  my  life, 
and  I  have  seen  some  of  the  strange  things  in  the  woods.  I 
have  roamed  all  over  the  great  woods  of  the  Shenandoah 
with  dog  and  gun,  but  I  never  met  anything  like  this.  I 
am  an  old  man  now,  but  I  can  hardly  myself  credit  the  story 
that  I  am  about  to  tell. 

"  Well,  listen  all,  while  I  sit  down  before  the  fire. 
Selim,  sit  down."     The  man  said,  "  Selim-Selim." 

The  hunter  pointed  to  a  mat  beside  the  fire,  and  the 
man  of  the  woods  sat  down,  and  drew  up  his  legs  and  clasped 
them  in  his  hands. 

They  offered  him  a  chair. 

"  He  does  not  sit  on  chairs,"  said  the  hunter.  "  He 
does  not  know  how." 

"  Is  his  name  Selim-Selim? "  asked  the  colonel. 

"  I  do  not  know.  He  speaks  a  few  words  that  I  can 
understand.  He  says  '  Selim-Selim  '  and  '  God  save  ye,' 
and  some  plantation  words  of  the  far  South — Creole  words, 
they  may  be.    I  can  not  tell." 

"  He  is  a  runaway  slave  from  Louisiana,"  said  Peter 
Jefferson. 

"  That  can  not  be,  colonel.  He  is  not  a  negro.  But 
now  I  will  tell  you  how  and  where  I  first  met  him. 

"  I  was  off  on  one  of  my  hunting  trips  in  the  great 
woods.  I  was  looking  for  deer,  for  my  family  needed  veni- 
son.    I  had  not  met  with  any  deer  that  clay,  when  suddenly 


28  EN   THE  DAYS  OF  JEFFERSON 

I  came  upon  the  trunk  of  a  great  tree  that  had  fallen, 
rotted,  and  fed  a  mass  of  vegetation  that  sprang  up  from 
the  bark. 

"  The  tree  had  been  such  a  monster,  such  a  king  of  the 
forest,  that  I  stopped  to  look  at  it.  Presently  the  tall  bushes 
and  vines  that  had  sprung  up  from  the  decaying  substance 
of  it  parted,  and  began  to  wave  to  and  fro.  I  saw  that  there 
was  something  living  behind  the  green  leaves;  I  thought  it 
might  be  the  head  of  a  deer,  and  I  raised  my  gun  to  fire. 
Deer  often  stand  still  and  look  through  the  opening  of  bushes 
when  a  hunter  approaches. 

"  The  bushes  parted  more  widely  as  if  they  opened 
themselves.  Then  two  eyes  appeared  at  the  opening — two 
eyes  and  some  long  hair.  I  could  see  nothing  more.  I 
thought  they  were  the  eyes  of  a  deer,  though  I  had  never 
seen  just  such  eyes  before.    They  were  his  eyes. 

"  I  took  aim  to  fire  when  he  rose  up  out  of  the  clump  of 
bushes  on  the  fallen  tree.  Had  one  risen  out  of  the  earth 
or  come  down  from  heaven  I  would  not  have  been  more 
surprised.  He  was  naked  then,  except  some  pelts  about 
his  loins. 

"  "WTlo  was  he  ?  I  saw  that  he  was  not  an  Indian,  a 
negro,  a  Spaniard,  nor  a  Creole.  His  face  looked  like  that 
of  a  prince.  Iris  body  like  that  of  a  beast. 

"  '  "Who  are  you? '  I  called  out. 

"  He  said :  '  Selim-Selim.     God  so  re  ye  !  ' 

"  But  that  voice!  It  was  like  nothing  that  I  ever  heard 
before.  I  tried  to  talk  with  him,  but  lie  uttered  unknown 
words.     TVe  could  only  talk  by  signs. 

"  His  body  was  covered  with  hair.  There  were  elf  locks 
about  his  head.     His  feet  were  wrapped  in  rags,  and  his 


I  raised  my  srun  to  fire. 


THE  WILD  MAN  OF  THE  SHENANDOAH  29 

arms  were  bleeding.  His  cheeks  were  hollow,  and  his  legs 
and  arms  shriveled.  I  saw  that  he  had  not  had  suffi- 
cient food,  and  as  I  turned  away  I  made  signs  to  him  to 
follow  me. 

"  He  kept  at  my  heels  like  a  dog.  I  shot  a  deer,  and  he 
helped  me  dress  it  and  bear  the  meat  home.  I  felt  that  he 
was  half  a  man  and  half  an  animal.  When  I  asked  him 
whence  he  came,  he  pointed  to  the  sun.  I  thought  that 
he  might  belong  to  some  tribe  of  whom  Ontasette  might 
know,  and  so  I  have  brought  him  here. 

"  Will  Ontasette  talk  with  him?  " 

Ontasette  rose  up,  and  bent  his  eyes  on  the  wood  wan- 
derer on  the  mat. 

"  Selim,  rise  up,"  said  the  hunter,  lifting  his  arm. 

Selim  arose,  and  the  two  men,  the  Indian  and  the  un- 
known, stood  before  the  great  fire. 

"What  is  your  name?"  asked  Ontasette. 

"  Selim-Selim,"    answered   the   wanderer.      "  God   save 

ye!" 

"  What  is  your  country?  "  asked  Ontasette. 

The  woodman  shook  his  head,  and  then  waved  his  hands 
around  his  head  in  circles. 

"What  is  your  name?"  asked  Ontasette.  "  Your 
name? " 

"  Selim-Selim." 

"  That  is  not  an  Indian  word.  He  is  not  an  Indian  of 
any  tribe." 

Ontasette  addressed  him  in  the  Indian  language  of  the 
Cherokee  nation,  but  he  did  not  understand.  Selim  pressed 
his  hand  against  the  great  scar  on  his  head  as  though  he 
were  in  pain. 


30  DJ   THE   DAYS   OF  JEFFERSON 

Ontasette   spoke   to  him   in   Algonquin,   but    the   man 

listened  to  it  as  to  the  wind. 

"  lie  is  no  man  of  this  world,"  said  one  of  the  Indians; 
"  he  came  down ;  he  live  among  the  stars." 

The  Indian  pointed  up. 

The  man  of  the  woods  comprehended.  He  shook  his 
head,  stepped  aside  by  himself,  facing  the  company  in 
the  light  of  the  lire,  and  pointed  to  the  deep  sear  on  his 
head. 

He  presented  a  strange  appearance  indeed  as  he  stood 
there  in  the  light  of  the  fire. 

"  Gods  do  not  have  scars,"  said  the  Indian  chieftain, 
pointing  to  the  woodman,  who  seemed  in  great  distress  at 
what  was  going  on  around  him,  only  a  part  of  which  he  was 
able  to  comprehend. 

He  turned  his  face  upward.  It  grew  beautiful.  There 
was  a  look  of  lofty  intelligence  in  it;  he  lifted  his  hands. 

The  Indians  leaped  up.  They  thonght  he  was  about  to 
ascend.  He  stood  there  like  a  statue.  Then  his  lips  parted, 
and  amid  the  deep  silence  he  said: 

"  Allah'  "  His  voice  rose,  in  some  unknown  and  beau- 
tiful language,  such  as  a  poet  might  use.  Was  he  praying? 
Was  he  calling  on  the  gods?  Who  was  he,  whence  did  he 
come?     Whither  was  it  his  purpose  to  go? 

I  should  say  to  the  reader  that,  although  in  this  pen 
picture  of  the  past  I  sometimes  use  fictitious  incidents  and 
dialogue  for  the  sake  of  interpretation  of  leading  fact-, 
the  story  of  this  strange  being  is  substantially  true,  and  I 
know  of  few  stories  more  marvelous,  or  of  equal  worth  as 
a  study  of  life  in  American  history.  The  story  of  Sir  Wil- 
liam Phipps,  in  the  Treasure  Ship,  was  interwoven  with  in- 


THE   WILD   MAN   OF  THE  SHENANDOAH  31 

cidents  that  seemed  past  belief,  but  which  were  true;  but 
the  narrative  of  Selim,  the  Wild  Man  of  the  Shenandoah, 
is  one  of  the  strangest,  and  in  its  end  one  of  the  noblest  of 
the  fireside  tales  of  the  early  settlements  of  the  western 
world. 

I  well  love  to  tell  it,  and  I  wish  I  could  relate  it  better, 
for  it  was  one  of  those  many  incidents  which  in  the  develop- 
ment of  his  life  would  one  day  lead  Thomas  Jefferson  to  re- 
peat, "  All  men  are  created  equal." 

The  clock  struck  eleven.  The  guests  went  to  their 
rooms,  all  except  Selim;  he  laid  down  on  a  mat,  and  saying 
something  to  "  Allah,"  fell  asleep,  and  the  fire  went  clown. 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE    GREAT    OAK    OF    MONTICELLO 

The  next  morning  Ontasette  and  the  Wild  Man  of 
the  Shenandoah  went  away,  one  to  Williamsburg,  then  the 
capital  of  Virginia,  and  the  other  over  the  mountains  to 
the  hunter's  cabin. 

The  Wild  Man  had  excited  an  intense  interest. 

"  I  will  teach  him  English,"  said  the  hunter,  "  and  then 
he  will  tell  his  own  story." 

"What  would  that  story  be?    When  would  it  be  told? 

The  Indians  declared  again  that  the  mysterious 
being  did  not  belong  to  this  world  at  all;  that  he  had 
descended  from  the  sky,  or  formed  in  the  air,  or  come 
in  a  boat  from  some  unknown  land  beyond  the  great 
water. 

He  indeed  did  not  belong  to  any  savage  race,  Indian  or 
African.  His  face  was  a  type  of  high  civilization;  his  ap- 
pearance was  that  of  a  religious  man. 

One  of  the  neighbors  sought  to  solve  the  mystery  by 
saying: 

"  He  is  a  mountain  prophet." 

The  mysterious  stranger  awakened  an  intense  interest 
in  all  the  families  of  the  counties  of  Augusta  and  Albe- 
marle, especially  among  the  old  people  and  young. 
32 


THE  GREAT  OAK  OF  MONTICELLO         33 

Dabney  Carr  remained  at  the  forest  house  with  Thomas 
Jefferson  for  several  days,  as  he  was  accustomed  to  do. 

The  two  rode  together  on  horseback,  but  they  little 
cared  for  play.  They  were  boys  of  books  and  discussions. 
Dabney  had  a  peculiar  mind;  he  loved  the  company  of 
people  who  could  think,  and  especially  of  those  whose 
thoughts  went  beyond  the  common  opinion.  His  thought 
was  always  on  the  wing. 

The  two  boys  came  to  love  each  other  more  and  more, 
and  to  find  in  each  other  a  supreme  desire  to  live  for  others 
in  the  future ;  to  do  something  that  would  live.  Their  love 
was  no  passing  sentiment;  it  struck  deep  into  the  heart  of 
each,  and  their  high  ambitions  were  no  desire  for  show,  but 
for  influence.  Dabney  found  no  such  great  ambitions  in 
any  other  boy  but  Tommy,  nor  did  Thomas  Jefferson  prob- 
ably ever  meet  any  one  who  so  dreamed  of  being  noble  in 
the  future. 

A  hill  that  commanded  extended  views  rose  out  of  the 
valley.  It  was  called  Monticello — "  little  mount  " — and  the 
c  in  the  word  came  to  be  pronounced  ch.  On  the  top  of  this 
hill  stood  a  gigantic  oak,  a  monarch  of  the  forest.  It  was 
the  delight  of  the  two  boys  to  lie  down  under  this  great  oak 
tent,  and  to  talk  of  what  they  hoped  to  be  and  to  do  in  life. 

As  their  years  grew,  their  friendship  strengthened  until 
neither  had  any  experience  that  he  did  not  share  with  the 
other.  Their  school  days  passed  into  college  days,  but  their 
hearts  were  one. 

One  day,  beneath  the  great  oak  of  Monticello,  these 
two  boys  pledged  their  friendship  to  each  other  for  life. 
It  was  a  strange,  unusual  pledge,  but  I  am  writing  a  prac- 
tically true  incident,  or  one  substantially  true.     Of  how 


34  IN   THE  DAYS  OF  JEFFERSON 

they  redeemed  the  pledge  that  they  came  to  make  to  each 
other,  I  shall  speak  in  another  chapter. 

The  root  of  this  friendship  was  a  common  purpose  in 
life.  Dabney  Carr  believed  that  God  manifested  himself 
to  all  men,  that  all  were  alike  endowed  with  special  talents 
and  possibilities,  and  that  all  were  created  equal.  These 
were  large  thoughts  for  so  young  a  head  and  heart  at  that 
time. 

Ontasette  and  the  Wild  Man  of  the  Shenandoah  excited 
the  curiosity  of  the  two  boys,  but  they  awakened  an  interest 
in  them  that  was  more  than  that.  They  called  the  mys- 
terious stranger  the  "  Wild  Woodman." 

On  the  morning  after  the  strange  event,  the  two  boys 
went  up  the  mountain  together  to  the  great  oak.  Their 
minds  were  full  of  the  Wild  Woodman. 

"  You  can  not  tell  what  is  in  him,"  said  Dabney.  "  One 
can  not  know  what  is  in  any  man  until  the  man  reveals  him- 
self.   All  men  are  created  equal." 

"Is  that  so,  Dabney?  Are  you  sure?  All  men  of 
the  same  order  in  life  are  created  equal.  You  can  not 
think  that  the  Wild  Woodman  is  created  equal  to  your- 
self." 

Dabney  aspired  to  be  an  orator.  Oratory  was  in  the  air. 
There  were  a  number  of  Virginia  boys  whe  were  preparing 
to  become  orators,  among  them  Patrick  Henry,  though  he 
knew  it  not.  It  is  strange  how  young  people  who  seem  to 
be  preparing  for  some  great  united  work  in  life  grow  up  at 
the  same  period,  and  are  at  first  unknown  to  each  other. 
They  become  acquainted  through  a  common  instinct.  It 
was  so  with  the  Wesleys,  AYhitefleld.  and  their  coadjutors; 
the  Adamses,  Warren,  Otis,  and  Hancock;  the  young  liter- 


THE  GREAT  OAK  OF  MONTICELLO        35 

ary  lights  of  Oxford  in  Arthur  Hallam's  time;  Boston  poets; 
the  Brook  Farm  cult,  and  it  was  so  in  ancient  days. 

Dabney  loved  to  speak  in  an  oratorical  way  under  the 
great  oak,  with  "  Tommy,"  as  he  called  Jefferson,  for  an 
audience.     He  little  dreamed  what  an  audience  he  had. 

He  talked  like  a  boy,  at  the  beginning  of  one  of  his  little 
orations,  but  he  ended  like  a  sage. 

To-day  he  felt  the  oratorical  instinct  stirring  within  him. 
He  wished  to  mold  the  mind  of  Tommy  to  his  opinions. 

'  The  Wild  Woodman,"  he  said,  "  may,  for  aught  that 
you  can  say  or  I,  be  capable  of  more  noble  acts  than  I  would 
think  of  doing.  It  is  not  race,  or  color,  or  society  that  makes 
a  man.  There  are  men  who  would  give  themselves  for 
others,  who  would  starve  for  others,  who  would  become  out- 
casts for  a  principle,  that  such  society  as  we  meet  would 
never  receive,  or  would  cast  out.  How  do  you  know  what 
story  the  Wild  Woodman  may  tell  when  he  learns  the  lan- 
guage? Fugitives  are  sometimes  heroes.  Heroes  are  often 
fugitives.  How  can  you  tell  that  he  would  not  give  up  life 
for  a  principle  ?  " 

"  Oh,  Dabney,"  said  Thomas,  "  you  have  a  great  heart, 
but  there  is  little  to  be  expected  of  a  man  like  the  Wild 
Woodman.  If  he  were  to  become  a  neighbor,  instead  of  a 
wanderer,  and  give  up  his  wild  desires  for  a  principle,  I 
too  would  accept  what  you  say  that  all  men  were  created 
equal." 

"  I  hope,"  said  Dabney,  "  that  that  man  may  live  to  tell 
his  story,  and  to  show  what  any  man  may  become.  He  will. 
I  can  see  it  in  my  mind.  There  is  a  Pocahontas  nobility 
in  every  heart. 

"  Tommy,  listen !     I  wish  I  might  be  an  orator.     It  is 


36  IN   THE   DAYS  OF  JEFFERSON 

grand  to  have  a  voice.  Words  live  in  a  voice.  It  is  the 
tone  of  the  voice  that  moves  men.  Xot  only  are  all  men 
created  equal,  all  men  are  possessed  of  equal  rights — equal 
rights  of  which  no  man  has  any  right  to  deprive  them.  The 
royal  governors  had  no  right  to  punish  Morgan's  men  for 
defending  their  homes  without  a  commission.  It  was  the 
duty  of  those  men  to  defend  their  rights.  Right  is  an  in- 
born principle,  and  no  man,  not  even  the  King,  has  any 
right  to  deprive  another  of  his  rights." 

The  little  orator's  face  was  filled  with  his  own  words. 
He  raised  his  hand  as  though  he  were  speaking  to  a  multi- 
tude. 

"  I  would  thunder  that  declaration  through  the  world 
if  I  could." 

"  Declaration  "  was  a  large  word  for  the  young  orator 
under  the  oak. 

"  Stop,  stop,  Dabney,  you  are  only  talking  to  me  and 
the  crows  and  the  squirrels." 

"  Only  to  you — but  what  a  heart  you  have  when  people 
let  you  act  yourself.  Only  to  you!  Why,  you  may  face  a 
Parliament  some  day — you  may  grow  up  to  plead  for  the 
justice  of  all  men!  " 

"  I  can  write  better  than  I  can  speak,"  said  Thomas. 
"  I  would  do  anything  to  make  you  an  orator.  You  would 
have  something  to  say,  but  who  would  hear  it?  What  you 
say  now  is  like  treason.  Do  you  think  that  my  father  has 
rights  of  which  King  George  has  no  right  to  deprive  him? " 

"  Yes,  I  do.  Xo  man  has  any  right  to  deprive  another 
of  his  rights." 

"But  the  law?" 

"  There  are  laws  higher  than  those  made  by  any  man, 


THE  GREAT  OAK  OF  MONTICELLO         37 

which  every  true  man  will  obey,  else  there  would  be  no 
martyrs.  It  is  the  right  of  any  true  man  to  live,  it  is  his 
right  to  be  free,  and  to  make  his  own  happiness.  Every 
man  is  born  to  inherent  rights " 

A  little  squirrel  had  seemed  to  be  listening,  with  lifted 
fore  legs,  on  a  bough.    At  the  last  words  he  fled. 

Tommy  called  out,  "Run,  squirrel,  rim!"  ami  rolled 
over  on  the  ground. 

"  Dabney,  you  ought  to  go  to  "Williamsburg  and  be  an 
orator.     That  principle  would  do  for  a  whole  oration." 

"  But  what  I  say  is  true.  Think  of  it  when  you  first 
wake  up  in  the  morning.  Then  the  mind  sees.  I  am  going 
to  study  oratory." 

"  And  I  will  study  how  to  express  your  thoughts  in  ink. 
I  believe  in  everybody,  just  as  you  do,  Dabney.  But  that 
word — my  memory  can't  hold  it  now." 

"  It  will,  later!" 

"  Let  us  go  the  way  of  the  squirrel,"  said  Thomas. 

Dabney  Carr  will  speak  again  some  day.  He  has  begun 
his  work  of  life  under  the  oak  of  Monticello.  In  one  sense 
the  voice  that  was  to  plead  fur  universal  freedom  first  arose 
there;  the  Declaration  that  was  to  overturn  thrones  and 
make  new  empires  may  be  said  to  have  been  bom  there. 

"  I  will  be  a  hero,"  said  young  Horatio  Xelson,  walking 
the  deck  on  a  moonlit  sea.  In  that  hour  was  born  the  vic- 
tories of  the  Xile  and  Trafalgar.  The  suggestions  of  great 
events  often  have  arisen  in  simple,  lonely  places,  as  that  to 
Moses  before  the  burning  bush,  or  to  King  Alfred  in  his 
wanderings. 


CHAPTER  VII 

•   :~TASETTE's    FAKKVTZll    TO    HIS    PEOPLE 

Thomas  Jkhpbbsoh  and  Dabney  Carr  delighted  in  riding 
on  horseback,  together,  through  forest  ways,  under  the  lift- 
ed mountains  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  which  traversed  a  natural 
park.  There  the  air  was  as  pure  as  the  streams.  The  giant 
forests  were  yet  a  hunting  ground  of  the  Indians;  here 
were  heard  the  settlers'  axes,  and  there  rose  through  the 
dark  pines  the  blue  smoke  of  the  pioneers'  cabins. 

TThen  Ontasette  returned  from  Williamsburg,  he  had 
remarkable  news  to  relate.  The  agents  of  the  Commercial 
Company  had  resolved  to  send  some  agen*-  to  Ix  ndon,  and 
they  were  willing  that  Ontasette  should  accompany  them. 
This  noble-looking  lord  of  the  forest  represented  a  great 
nation,  whose  dominion  spread  over  almost  the  entire  mid- 
dle South.  He  could  speak  English  imperfectly.  He  knew 
the  wide  country  of  the  pine  forests  as  few  chiefs  did.  He 
could  present  a  view  of  the  Cherokee  country  as  few  others 
could.  So  when  the  commissioners  said  to  him.  "  Ontasette 
may  go  to  London  and  be  presented  at  court,"  he  an- 
swered: "  Ontasette  will  dare  the  great  sea;  he  must  serve 
his  time  and  people." 

He  called  together  his  chief  men  who  had  journeyed 
toward  the  white  settlements  of  the  Virginia  River  country, 


ONTASETTE'S  FAREWELL  TO  HIS  PEOPLE  39 

and  told  them  of  his  commission.  He  appointed  a  place 
where  he  would  meet  his  people  and  bid  them  fare- 
well. 

Jefferson  from  boyhood  to  his  death  was  a  defender  of 
the  rights  of  the  Indians.  Dabney  Carr  had  the  same  heart. 
Both  were  thrilled  by  the  poetry  of  the  woods — Indian 
oratory.  From  Ontasette  he  heard  a  word  that  was  a 
wonder — Louisiana. 

One  day  the  swift  pony  of  Thomas  Jefferson  appeared 
before  the  door  of  Dabney  Carr's  home,  and  Dabney  came 
running  into  the  yard. 

"  Ontasette  is  going  away,"  said  Tommy.  "  He  has 
called  his  people  to  meet  him  at  the  rocks;  he  is  going  to 
make  a  farewell  address — we  must  hear  it — what  a  scene 
it  will  be!  Ontasette  asked  me  to  hear  him  speak,  but  I 
couldn't  go  without  you;  saddle  your  horse,  we  have  no 
time  to  lose." 

In  an  hour  the  two  boys  were  on  their  way  to  the 
rocks  where  Ontasette  was  to  meet  his  people  for  the  last 
time. 

"  Ontasette  is  an  orator,"  said  Dabney.  "  The  Indian 
orator  speaks  Nature's  own  words — I  would  not  have  missed 
hearing  Ontasette  to-day.  You  never  leave  me  behind, 
Thomas." 

"  I  will  never  leave  you  behind,  Dabney,  as  long  as  I 
live — I  was  born  to  share  everything  with  you.  It  shall  be 
so  always.  You  have  a  heart  for  all  the  world,  and  my 
heart  goes  out  to  you  as  to  no  one  else.  Your  doctrine  of 
rights,  natural  rights,  grows  on  me.  I  wish  I  could  be  an 
orator,  but  that  can  never  be.  I  can  feel  and  write  what 
I  can  not  speak." 


40  IX   THE   DAYS  OF  JEFFERSON 

They  galloped  on,  talking  more  like  two  men  than  boys. 
When  they  spoke  of  "  human  rights  "  they  used  the  solemn 
language  of  philosophers.  Jefferson  talked  lightly  among 
merry-making  sons  of  the  planters;  he  could  frolic  and  fiddle 
and  dance,  hut  with  Dabney  he  was  old  in  thought.  He 
seemed  to  feel  that  some  great  destiny  awaited  him  a- 
often  as  he  heard  Dabney  talk  in  his  earnest  way  on 
human  rights. 

They  came  at  last  to  a  great  meadow  under  towering 
rocks.  A  column  of  smoke  arose  there,  and  around  it  sat  a 
company  of  Indians  on  blankets.  Ontasette  was  among 
them. 

It  was  past  high  noon.     The  air  was  bright  and  still. 

The  Indians  did  not  move  as  the  two  boys  approached 
on  their  ponies.  They  did  not  turn  their  heads — they  were 
smoking. 

'■  "When  will  the  chief  r-peak?  "  asked  Tommy  of  one  of 
the  Indians,  who  was  not  a  Cherokee. 

•"  When  the  moon  risea — he  will  speak  to  the  moon.  Ir 
is  the  last  time.  I  will  interpret  him  for  you;  you  play  on 
the  box  of  the  air  "  (violin). 

The  two  beys  galloped  away  and  rested  by  themselves 
for  a  time  under  the  great  trees  by  the  mountain  river. 
They  then  went  to  a  great  mill  with  a  wooden  wheel,  and 
-    jnred  a  supper  of  the  miller. 

In  the  evening  they  returned  to  the  great  meadow.  A 
company  of  white  people  had  gathered  there  to  listen  to 
Ontasette's  farewell. 

The  Indians  were  still  smoking,  regardless  of  those  who 
were  going  r,r  corning. 

The  evening  came  on  still,  like  a  drifting  shadow.     Then 


ONTASETTE'S  FAREWELL  TO  HIS  PEOPLE  41 

the  world  seemed  lighting  up  again,  and  the  red  rim  of  the 
moon  rose  over  the  hills  of  the  Shenandoah. 

Ontasette  stood  up.  There  was  a  natural  platform  in 
the  rocks,  some  srx  or  ten  feet  above  the  great  meadows. 
He  ascended  to  it  slowly,  halting  after  each  step,  and  at 
last  stood  upon  it,  and  faced  the  Indians,  saying: 

"  My  children  of  the  forest,  it  is  the  last  time — but  On- 
tasette is  not  his  own.  The  leaf  on  the  wind  may  not  answer 
the  wind.  The  unknown  beckons  to  me,  and  my  feet  are 
raised  to  go." 

He  stood  in  silence,  as  the  full  moon  came  out  over  the 
great  meadows,  above  the  long  dark  mountain  lines. 

He  then  lifted  his  face  to  the  moon  and  the  beams  of 
the  planet  fell  upon  it.* 

"  It  is  the  last  time,  O  sons  of  the  Cherokees!  The  moon 
will  rise  on  the  mountain  and  go  down  on  the  sea,  but  we 
shall  never  meet  again  as  we  now  meet.  Lay  down  your 
pipes  and  listen  to  me. 

"  The  Great  Spirit  is  changing  the  world.  The  moon 
will  forever  come  again,  but  the  Cherokees  may  not  gather 
as  we  do  now.  They  may  go  to  the  graves  of  their  fathers, 
and  the  moon  look  down  upon  them,  where  the  tribes  lie 
still. 


*  I  know  much  of  the  great  Ontasette,  the  warrior  and  orator  of  the 
Cherokees ;  he  was  always  the  guest  of  my  father  on  his  journeys  to  and 
from  Williamsburg.  I  was  in  his  camp  when  he  made  his  great  farewell 
oration  to  his  people,  the  evening  before  his  departure  for  England.  The 
moon  was  in  full  splendor,  and  to  her  he  seemed  to  address  himself  in  his 
prayers  for  his  own  safety  on  the  voyage,  and  that  of  his  people  during 
his  absence.  His  sounding  voice,  distinct  articulation,  animated  action, 
and  the  solemn  silence  of  his  people  at  their  several  fires,  filled  me  with 
awe  and  veneration. — Jefferson. 


42  IN   THE  DAYS  OF  JEFFERSON 

"lam  going  to  iny  brother  King,  over  the  sea,  to  plead 
your  cause.  I  may  return,  and  I  may  never  return — the 
waters  are  wide,  and  men's  hearts  are  hard;  but  while  the 
stars  shall  come  to  the  night,  and  the  sun  shall  redden  the 
mountains,  wherever  I  may  be,  the  heart  of  Ontasette  will 
be  true  to  the  Cherokees. 

"  O  light  of  the  heavens,  who  led  my  people  out  of  the 
unknown,  and  who  will  guide  them  into  the  unknown.  I 
can  not  go  beyond  thy  light,  Tribes  may  come  and  tribes 
may  go,  the  springs  may  light  up  the  hills,  the  summer  sun 
at  noon  turn  down  the  eyes  of  the  living  with  fire,  the  au- 
tumn sunset  burn  like  woods  of  flame,  but  thou  shalt  roll  on 
forever,  and  while  the  eyes  of  Ontasette  shall  see  thy  light, 
his  heart  shall  be  true  To  his  people.  Thou  art  not  more 
fixed  in  thy  course  than  the  heart  of  Ontasette.  This  heart 
may  fail,  these  knees  may  fall,  but.  by  the  light  above  me 
and  the  earth  beneath  me,  the  heart  of  Ontasette  shall  be 
true  to  his  people.  The  grave  shall  rind  Ontasette  true  to 
his  people,  eternally  true  as  the  lights  above,  and  his  people 
will  be  true  to  Ontasette.  So  it  is  spoken  in  Nature — so  it 
is  said  in  the  course  of  the  stars." 

He  dropped  his  eyes,  and  repeated  the  declaration: 

"  My  people,  I  go  away — the  ocean  waits  to  receive  me, 
and  bear  me  to  lands  I  have  never  seen.  The  sun  may  fail, 
the  moon,  the  stars,  the  ocean  may  dry  up  in  the  sun,  and 
the  earth  may  wither,  but  the  love  of  my  heart  for  the 
Cherokees,  and  the  love  of  my  people  for  Ontasette  will 
never  falter  or  fail.  There  is  a  Spirit  that  rises  over  the 
lights  above  and  the  world  beneath,  and  he  has  said  that 
whatever  the  white  man  may  be,  or  whatever  he  may  do.  the 
love  of  the  red  man  for  the  red  man  and  the  Cherokee  for 


ONTASETTE'S  FAREWELL  TO   HIS  PEOPLE  43 

the  Cherokee  shall  forever  endure,  and  he  has  made  for  us 
all  a  better  country  than  this.     Farewell — I  have  done." 

He  descended  the  rocks.  He  saw  Dabney,  and  touched 
him  and  said: 

"  "White  boy,  do  not  forget  Ontasette.  The  waves  will 
bear  him  away.     He  may  come  again." 

The  two  boys  rode  home  in  the  moonlight,  talking  on 
the  old  subject  of  human  rights  all  of  the  way.  Young- 
Jefferson  was  filled  with  a  desire  to  champion  the  rights  of 
Indian  tribes,  for  he  saw  that  these  rights  were  being 
ignored.  His  character  was  forming  to  utter  great  truths 
when  the  day  for  them  should  come. 

"  I  wish  I  had  a  cause  to  plead,"  said  Dabney.  "  I  feel 
it  in  me  to  do  so.     Did  you  not  feel  the  Indian's  heart? " 

"  Yes,  I  felt  it — I  feel  it  now,  and  always  will;  to  plead 
the  cause  of  a  people  is  the  noblest  of  all  things.  I  will  do 
it — you  will — we  will." 

The  Indian  plead  the  cause  of  his  people,  but  in  vain. 
"What  will  these  two  cantering  little  patriots  do? 


CHAPTEE  VIII 

A    VISIT    TO    THE    WILD    MAX    OF    THE    WOODS 

The  story  of  the  appearance  of  the  mysterious  Man  of 
the  Woods  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley  ran  through  all  the 
colony  and  excited  a  great  interest  wherever  it  was  told. 
People  went  to  visit  him,  reported  curious  things  about  him, 
and  the  wonder  grew.  This  was  true  in  regard  to  him: 
he  was  learning  to  speak  English  rapidly,  and  had  begun 
to  tell  the  storj  of  his  life. 

He  said  that  he  was  born  in  Algiers,  and  the  word  went 
abroad  that  he  was  a  Moor. 

But  if  he  was  a  native  of  the  Barbary  coast  how  did  he 
come  to  the  Shenandoah  wilderness?  Xo  ships  had  brought 
such  a  person  to  the  Virginia  coast. 

"  The  Wild  Man  is  a  Moor/'  so  the  strange  news  ran. 
"But  what  is  a  Moor?  "  was  asked  in  many  homes. 

"  The  Moor  is  an  Arabian,"  some  answered,  but  why 
should  an  Arabian  be  found  here? 

In  the  summer  after  the  hunter  and  his  strange  com- 
panion had  come  over  the  Blue  Ridge,  our  two  boys,  Jeffer- 
son and  Dabney.  started  out  for  a  ride  over  the  Blue  Ridge. 
The  wilderness  was  in  its  primitive  glory  then,  fall  of  leaves, 
flowers,  and  songs  of  birds.  The  days  were  long,  the  sky 
blazed,  the  great  oaks  were  towers,  the  brooks  flowed  among 
the  greenery  of  ferns. 
44 


A   VISIT   TO   THE  WILD  MAN  OP  THE  WOODS  45 

They  were  going  to  Staunton,  over  the  hills. 

"  They  say  that  the  Wild  Man  is  a  Moor,"  said  Dabney 
to  Jefferson,  as  they  galloped  along.  "  He  is  learning  Eng- 
lish, and  he  has  told  a  part  of  his  story.    He  is  an  Arabian." 

"  But  how  did  a  Moor  find  his  way  here?  iSTo  Moors 
have  come  to  Virginia  on  any  ships.  The  ships  that  trade 
on  the  coast  of  Africa  for  slaves  have  brought  no  Moors  to 
Virginia." 

"  That  he  can  not  yet  explain,  but  he  will  do  so  in  time. 
Let  us  visit  the  Wild  Man.  He  is  coming  out  of  his  shell. 
Let  us  question  him.    He  can  speak  much  English  now." 

"  Agreed.  We  may  find  a  hero  in  him.  That  would 
accord  with  your  theory,  Dabney.     Let  us  go." 

They  mounted  the  Ridge.  The  world,  as  it  were,  lay 
beneath  them.  The  air  was  bright  and  hot,  but  it  was  cooled 
in  the  woods  by  the  new  green  leaves  that  hung  like  curtains 
over  the  way,  and  covered  it.  Mountains  rose  above  them 
into  the  pure  sunlight.  Eagles  screamed  and  wheeled  in 
the  sky. 

They  made  their  way  to  Staunton,  a  ride  of  some  thirty 
or  more  miles,  and  there  met  with  directions  to  the  home 
of  the  hunter. 

In  the  long  red  twilight  they  came  to  the  cabin.  The 
Wild  Man  was  there,  sitting  with  a  far  away  look,  before  the 

door. 

The  hunter  welcomed  the  two  boys,  gave  them  a  supper, 
cared  for  their  horses,  and  then  all  sat  down  with  them 
among  the  pines  in  the  glimmering  dusk. 

The  Wild  Man's  thoughts  seemed  far  away.  Dabney 
touched  him  on  the  knee,  and  said: 

"You  are  a  Moor?  " 


46  IN  THE  DAYS  OP  JEFFERSON 

The  "Wild  Man's  soul  seemed  to  come  back  to  him,  as 
from  some  f ar-away  imagination. 

"  Selim— Selim  is  Al  Jerira." 

"  Al  Jerira  ?  "  said  Dabney.     "  Where  is  .4/  Jerira  ?  " 

They  looked  at  each  other. 

"  Is  it  Algiers?  "  asked  the  lad. 

The  woodman's  eyes  lit  up  with  a  sudden  joy. 

"Algiers — so  the  English  him  say.  Algiers — Algiers! 
I  see — you  see — Algiers!  Algiers!  Selim  speak  true — 
Algiers!" 

"Then  you  are  an  Algerine?" 

The  man  of  the  woods  rose  up,  and  lifted  his  face  and 
said : 

-Allah!" 

Then  he  looked  down  gratefully  on  Dabney:  "  Selim  he 
is  one  Algerine,  so  the  Engli-h  Bay." 

He  closed  his  eyes  and  stood  there  like  a  beautiful  head 
on  the  form  of  a  beast.  But  his  brow  was  disfigured  by  the 
deep  scar.     A  linsey  garment  hung  around  him. 

"  He  seems  to  be  praying  five  times  a  day."  said  the 
hunter.  "  He  faces  the  east  when  he  prays,  and  then  he 
sings.  His  voice  seems  far  away.  He  sometimes  goes  up 
on  the  peak  to  pray  and  sing.  He  does  that  in  the  morn- 
ing. The  first  light  of  the  sun  falls  on  his  face.  Sometimes 
I  think  that  he  is  no  man  at  all.    Do  you  believe  in  gods?  " 

Selim  opened  his  eyes. 

"  A  hard  lot  you  have  had  \  "  said  Dabney. 

The  man  comprehended  and  answered,  "  Islam,  Islam," 
and  his  face  was  a  picture  of  peace. 

His  name  was  Selim  and  he  claimed  to  be  an  Algerine, 
this  much  was  certain.     He  was  not  an  Arabian. 


A   VISIT   TO   THE   WILD  MAN  OF  THE   WOODS  47 

"  How  did  you  come  here?  "  asked  Dabney. 

The  man  looked  bewildered. 
k  Where  came  you  from — where?  "  asked  Dabney  again. 

"  Istamboul." 

The  man's  face  lighted  again. 

"  Know  you  Istamboul?  "  he  asked. 

"  Constantinople?  "  asked  Dabney. 

Joy  filled  the  man's  face. 

"  The  English  they  say  Constantinople." 

"  An  Algerine  from  Constantinople,"  said  Dabney. 
"  That  would  be  impossible." 

"  But,"  said  the  hunter,  "  there  is  truth  in  his  face  and 
in  his  tone.  I  can  read  truth  or  falsehood  in  a  man's  tone. 
A  true  ear  can.  He  is  telling  the  truth — I  know  not  how, 
but  he  is  a  man  of  Algiers  from  Constantinople." 

"  How  is  it  possible  that  a  man  of  Algiers  from  Con- 
stantinople should  be  found  naked  in  a  thicket  in  the  valley 
of  the  Shenandoah?  "  asked  Dabney. 

"  I  can  not  answer  that,"  said  the  hunter. 

"  Algiers  is  on  one  side  of  the  Mediterranean  and  Istam- 
boul is  on  the  other,"  said  Dabney.  "  They  are  far  apart." 
He  spoke  both  to  the  hunter  and  to  the  woodman. 

The  latter  did  not  comprehend. 

"  Constantinople  is  not  in  Algiers,"  he  added,  looking  at 
the  woodman. 

The  Wild  Man  lifted  his  hand  to  his  head  as  in  pain. 
He  could  see  that  his  words  had  been  misapprehended  or 
doubted.     He  suddenly  raised  his  hand  and  said: 

"  God  save  ye !  "  He  repeated  these  words  often  in 
after  years. 

He  turned  away  slowly,  and  went  up  the  rocky  peak. 


4  s  IX   THE   DAYS   OF   JEFFERSOX 

"  He  is  going  away  to  pray  now,"  said  the  hunter. 

"  He  will  pray  to  the  sunset,"  said  Dabney. 

The  sunset  was  dying.  He  did  not  turn  his  face 
toward  the  sunset  sky,  but  toward  the  east,  and  he  stood 
like  a  dark  statue  in  the  fading  light  making  mystic  signs. 

"  I  sometimes  expect  to  see  him  go  up  when  he  does 
that,"  said  the  hunter. 

The  man  came  down  in  the  evening,  and  went  to  a  room 
over  the  stable  to  sleep. 

They  tried  to  question  him  when  he  came  back,  but  he 
would  only  say,  "  God  save  ye!  " 

His  feelings  had  been  hurt,  but  he  had  a  forgiving  man- 
ner. Whoever  he  was,  or  from  wherever  he  came,  he  had 
a  refined  and  sensitive  soul. 

The  boys  left  the  cabin  in  the  morning,  and  the  mystery 
of  the  life  of  the  Wild  Man  of  the  Shenandoah  seemed 
greater  than  before. 

After  they  had  ridden  away  they  remembered  the  deep 
scar  on  Selim's  face.     Had  he  been  in  a  war? 

"  We  must  return  to  him  again  in  the  fall,"  said  Dab- 
ney, "  and  ask  him  about  the  scar." 


CHAPTEK  IX 

THE  PLEDGE  OF  FRIENDSHIP  AND  THE  GOLDEN  HORSESHOE 

Thomas  Jefferson  and  Dabney  Carr  became  closer 
friends  as  their  lives  expanded.  They  pursued  their  studies 
together  at  school;  then  college  days  and  vacations  came. 

They  met,  book  in  hand,  one  in  heart,  one  in  thought, 
and  one  in  purpose  of  life.  They  shared  the  training  for 
some  unknown  service  to  mankind. 

Dabney  more  and  more  believed  in  the  people,  and  in 
the  right  of  the  people  to  make  their  own  laws.  He  was 
born  to  love  the  people.  He  must  have  found  his  heroes 
in  such  men  as  Alfred  the  Great,  Simon  de  Montfort,  Hamp- 
den, Robinson  of  Leyden,  and  William  Penn.  He  caught 
the  spirit  of  progressive  liberty,  and  he  desired  to  make 
his  friend  see  the  great  opportunity  that  the  future  might 
bring  America — and  him. 

They  went  with  books  together  up  the  high  hill  of  Monti- 
cello  to  study  day  by  day  as  they  faced  manhood.  The  great 
oak  was  their  schoolroom.  "What  an  oak  it  was!  It  had 
probably  spread  its  leaves  over  the  turf  for  centuries,  or  at 
least  for  a  century.  What  an  outlook  the  plat  of  ground 
under  it  commanded — a  hundred  and  more  miles  of  hori- 
zon! Was  there  ever  a  better  study  to  school  one  in  the 
great  thoughts  of  honor  and  liberty? 

49 


50  IN   THE   DAYS   OF  JEFFERSON 

It  was  the  first  liberty  liall  in  the  new  world,  or  one  of 
the  first. 

In  this  memorable  shade  the  two  boys  grew,  and  the 
longer  they  studied  together  the  more  noble  they  became 
for  the  sake  of  each  other.  They  seemed  to  feel  the  spirit 
of  coming  events,  and  to  anticipate  the  future  with  a  single 
eye  and  heart. 

One  day  as  they  dropped  their  books  and  looked  out  over 
the  great  forests  whose  green  leaves  rippled  in  the  light 
summer  winds  under  a  long  sunset,  Thomas  Jefferson  said: 

"  To  every  man  something  is  possible.  Ontasette  taught 
me  that.  He  has  poetry,  oratory,  and  nobility  in  him.  I 
wonder  what  there  may  be  in  the  heart  of  the  Wild  Man." 

'•  We  must  watch  his  course,"  said  Dabney.  "  We 
learn  from  men  what  we  can  not  find  in  books.  The  time 
will  come  when  a  man's  country  will  be  the  earth,  and  when 
his  people  will  be  all  mankind.  Patriotism  that  stops  short 
of  that  is,  in  one  sense,  selfishness.  "Why  should  not  men  be 
regarded  as  free  and  equal?  All  have  one  divine  origin; 
all  breathe  the  same  air,  see  the  same  stars,  are  nursed  in 
the  same  way  at  the  breast,  and  mingle  on  the  same  earth. 
All  come  out  of  the  unknown  past,  and  all  will  go,  even 
Shakespeare  himself,  into  oblivion. 

"  Tommy,  I  do  not  feel  myself  to  be  superior  to  any  true 
soul  that  can  see  the  sunset  and  feel  the  invisible  presence 
of  the  Divine  Being.  I  love  all  men  alike;  I  would  help 
every  creature  that  breathes,  and  I  would  hinder  no  man, 
however  humble  he  may  be." 

"  Dabney,  I  feel  all  the  force  of  what  you  say,  and  I 
love  you  for  it.    Let  us  be  more  than  friends." 

"  We  are  friends:  we  have  been;  we  are  going  to  be." 


PLEDGE  OF  FRIENDSHIP  AND  TPIE  GOLDEN  HORSESHOE  51 

"  Let  us  always  be  friends,"  said  Jefferson,  "  and  more, 
let  us  be  brothers  to  the  end  of  life,  and  after,  if  there  be 
an  after  life,  and  this  life  tells  me  that  there  must  be  an- 
other and  a  higher  one.  Let  us  make  to  each  other  a  pledge 
of  brotherhood.  Dabney,  Dabney  Carr,  there  will  never  be 
a  time  in  life  when  I  will  not  need  you." 

He  crept  toward  Dabney  on  the  moss  and  the  two  locked 
their  right  hands. 

"  Dabney,  after  what  you  have  just  said,  it  would  make 
me  happy  to  give  up  myself  for  you.  I  would  rather  see 
you  succeed  in  the  world  than  to  do  so  myself.  Dabney, 
wait,  and  trust  my  heart;  if  there  should  come  a  time  when 
the  people  were  to  choose  between  you  and  me  I  would 
give  my  chance  to  you." 

"  Thomas  Jefferson,  I  do  not  doubt  it.  Let  us  renew 
the  pledge  we  made  to  each  other  when  we  first  began  to 
associate  with  each  other." 

The  two  rose  up,  hand  locked  in  hand. 

"  We  will  be  friends  forever,"  said  Thomas;  "  and  if 
you  or  yours  need  me,  all  I  have  is  yours,  for  I  love  your 
happiness  better  than  myself." 

"  If  I  should  die  first,"  said  Dabney,  "  I  would  be  buried 
where  you  will  be  laid.  I  would  desire  to  rest  at  last  where 
you  will  come." 

"Under  the  oak,  Dabney?" 

"  Under  the  oak  of  Monticello." 

"  You  may  live  long,  and  forget  me." 

"  Never."' 

"  I  will  never  forget  you." 

"  ISFo  one  ever  forgets  the  true  hearts  of  his  youth." 

"  This  ground  is  mine,"  said  Jefferson.     "  On  this  moun- 


52  IN   THE   DAYS   OF  JEFFERSON 

tain  by  this  oak  I  will  make  my  home.  It  shall  be  your 
home.  I  will  make  a  graveyard  by  it.  There  you  shall 
come  to  me,  or  I  will  come  to  you.  The  grave  shall  not 
divide  us.  Our  friendship  shall  last  while  life  shall  last, 
and  go  beyond." 

Strange  words  were  these.  They  would  seem  unreal, 
sentimental,  romantic  were  they  not  almost  literally  true. 
Jefferson  had  a  very  poetic  nature,  and  Dabney  was  a  born 
knight. 

There  was.  as  it  were,  in  the  air  at  this  time  a  strange 
suggestion — it  was  like  a  star.     Let  me  tell  you  of  it. 

When  Governor  Spotswood  instituted  the  Order  of  the 
Golden  Horseshoe  in  Virginia,  to  inspire  the  young  planters 
to  explore  Louisiana,  as  the  West  was  then  called,  and  which 
now  comprehends  twelve  States  and  Territories,  he  had 
some  very  curious  horseshoes  made  of  gold  in  England,  and 
a  legend  stamped  upon  them.  The  original  motto  was 
in  Latin,  and  translated  ran,  "  Thus  we  swear  to  cross  the 
mountains,"  meaning  to  explore  the  West.  He  desired  to 
make  a  suggestion  that  would  ever  haunt  the  hearts  of 
young  and  chivalrous  Virginians  that  one  of  the  great  enter- 
prises of  the  future  would  be  to  explore  Louisiana,  or  the 
territory  lying  west  of  the  Mississippi.  This  suggestion  was 
now  being  revived  again. 

The  Order  of  the  Golden  Horseshoe  had  lived,  and  had 
had  other  golden  horseshoes  made,  and  there  were  men  who 
caught  the  spirit  of  Governor  Spotswood,  and  traveled  about 
with  the  one  idea  of  inspiring  men  for  such  enterprises. 

One  of  these  characters  we  shall  call  the  "  Sir  Knight 
of  the  Golden  Horseshoe."  He  was  a  very  old  man  with 
thin  hair  and  long  beard.     He  had  joined  the  order  in  his 


PLEDGE  OF  FRIENDSHIP  AND  THE  GOLDEN  HORSESHOE   53 

youth;  he  was  a  horseback  rider  even  in  his  old  age,  as  most 
Virginians  were. 

He  owned  a  plantation  in  the  garden  of  Virginia,  but  it 
delighted  his  heart  to  ride  about  the  mountains  and  over 
them,  and  to  talk  of  the  wonders  that  Western  exploration 
would  one  day  reveal  to  the  world. 

He  held  some  high  office  in  the  Order  of  the  Golden 
Horseshoe  and  superintended  the  making  of  horseshoes,  and 
he  had  new  horseshoes  made  for  adventurers  whom  he  could 
induce  to  unite  with  the  society. 

In  his  old  age,  he  one  day  met  some  of  the  members  of 
the  order,  and  said: 

"  Ho,  ho,  ho!     See  what  I  have  done." 
He  held  out  in  his  hand  six  golden  horseshoes,  on  which 
was  engraved,  "  Thus  we  swear  to  cross  the  mountains." 

"  I  am  going  to  travel,"  he  said,  "  all  over  Virginia, 
wandering.  This  country  is  to  be  great — glorious.  I  can 
see  it  with  my  inward  eyes — some  people  see  double —  I  do. 
"  I  am  about  to  travel,"  he  continued,  repeating,  "  and 
visit  the  plantations  from  Vorktown  to  the  AVilderness,  and 
I  will  rest  at  the  inns  and  the  plantation  houses.  I  am  going 
to  make  a  study  of  the  young  men  of  Virginia,  and  ho,  ho, 
ho!  it  is  my  purpose  to  give  a  golden  horseshoe  to  the  six 
young  men  who,  in  my  judgment,  are  likely  to  have  the 
greatest  influence  in  the  future. 

"  I  am  about  to  ride  in  search  of  six  young  knights  who 
will  have  Governor  Spotswood's  spirit,  and  my  soul  will 
know  them  when  I  see  them. 

"  I  am  old,  and  I  can  not  do  much  now  to  advance  the 
cause.  But  this  country  must  have  liberty,  gain  Louisiana, 
and  protect  herself  from  European  domain.     The  young 


.-,4  IX   THE  DAYS   OF  JEFFERSON 

men  are  born  that  will  bring  about  these  events  and  I  am 
going  in  search  of  them.  I  will  travel  with  the  sun,  with 
the  moon  and  stars.  I  will  put  the  horseshoe  into  the  hands 
of  six  yoimg  men,  and  say: 

••  A  golden  horseshoe  I  give  to  thee. 
The  whole  of  America  must  be  free, 
And  her  bounds  extend  from  sea  to  sea, 
And  safe  from  Europe  must  ever  be. 
"lis  so  we  cross  the  mountains." 

People  did  strange  things  in  those  days,  and  for  a  gen- 
eration afterward  preachers  traveled  about  preaching  and 
singing  in  schoolhouses  and  under  great  trees.  One  might 
hear  their  voices  in  the  air,  singing  songs  like  these : 

'•  How  precious  is  the  Name! 
Brethren,  sing.'' 
or 

"  There's  a  sound  of  a  going  in  the  mulberry  trees," 

or 

"  When  I  set  out  for  glory 
I  left  the  world  behind, 
For  to  glory  I  would  go, 
I  would  go." 

Rustic  orators  talked  in  courthouses  and  in.  barns. 
There  were  few  public  halls  and  no  opera  houses;  then  all 
was  simple,  primitive,  and  rude,  except  a  few  stately  man- 
sions of  rich  planters. 

So  the  old  man  started  forth  on  horseback  to  study  the 
young  men  of  Virginia,  and  to  try  to  find  six  sons  of  the 
planters  whom  he  thought  would  become  the  leaders  of 
great  events,  to  whom  to  give  his  six  horseshoes.  It  was  a 
strange  mission. 

He  stopped  at  inns  and  plantation  houses  and  related 


PLEDGE  OF  FRIENDSHIP  AND  THE  GOLDEN  HORSESHOE  55 

the  adventures  of  Governor  Spotswood.  He  was  a  natural 
story-teller;  lie  had  keen  eyes  and  "quick  wit,  and  he  was 
welcome  always,  this  Sir  Knight  of  the  Golden  Horseshoe, 
to  the  benches  under  wayside  trees  and  to  household  fires. 

Each  old  planter  hoped  that  this  venerable  rider  might 
discover  a  leader  of  the  events  of  the  future  among  his 
sons. 

So  planters  stood  at  the  gate  to  meet  him  when  he  was 
seen  coming  up  the  valleys  or  down  the  hill  with  his  pro- 
phetic horseshoes. 


CHAPTER  X 

DABXEY  CARS  AND  THOMAS  JEFFERSON  GO  TO  THE  WONDERFUL 
NATURAL    BEIDGE 

Young  Thomas  Jefferson  delighted  in  making  long 
trips  on  horseback  through  the  wild  Virginian  mountain 
wars.  As  a  result  of  one  of  these  journeys,  he  made  the 
stupendous  Natural  Bridge  in  Rockbridge  County,  in  Vir- 
ginia, known  to  the  world.  His  description  of  the  bridge 
set  the  feet  of  travelers  toward  the  place,  and  many  pen 
pictures  of  the  lofty  arch,  among  them  Ali~~  Martineau's, 
have  served  to  place  it  among  the  wonders  of  the  world. 

Rockbridge  County  lies  in  a  valley  of  great  beauty,  in 
young  Jefferson's  day  filled  with  giant  trees,  forest  patri- 
archs, under  which  the  Indian  made  his  tent  and  kindled 
his  evening  fire.  The  arch  of  the  bridge  spans  a  chasm  r«p 
hundred  and  sixty  feet  in  height,  or  more  than  two  hundred 
feet  if  we  add  the  height  of  the  trees  and  towering  foliage. 

The  bridge  was  a  waymark  in  old  Indian  days. 

Young  Jefferson  had  heard  by  the  old  home  fire  the 

wonders  of  the  bridge.     Hunters  like  to  describe  it,  and  to 

picture  it  as  one  of  the  most  beautiful  chasms  on  earth. 

The  young  riders  of  the  old  Virginian  tobacco  farms  made 

it  a  place  of  summer  resort,  for  a  ride  of  a  hundred  miles 

in  the  summer  wilderness  was  a  matter  of  small  moment 
56 


THE  WONDERFUL  NATURAL  BRIDGE        57 

to  them.  Horseback  rides  lasted  a  week  then,  and  the  rude 
inns  along  the  old  Virginian  roads  were  places  of  jovial  hos- 
pitality, within  whose  summer  doors  and  by  whose  kitchen 
fires  thrilling  stories  were  told. 

Jefferson  himself  came  to  own  the  bridge;  it  was  on 
one  of  his  estates,  some  eighty  miles  from  Monticello,  or 
Shadewell,  as  his  early  home  was  called. 

Young  Jefferson's  heart  was  always  seeking  to  bring 
some  new  surprise  to  Dabney  Carr.  Whatever  filled  his 
young  friend  with  delight  made  his  own  heart  beat  faster 
and  happier. 

One  day,  in  his  youth,  he  visited  the  great  forest  wonder, 
probably  with  his  father.  It  towered  above  him  in  its  green- 
ness from  the  glen. 

"  What  would  Dabney  say  to  that?  "  was  the  thought 
of  his  heart.     "  We  must  come  here." 

He  returned  over  the  Blue  Ridge  to  his  home,  where 
Dabney  had  come  to  meet  him. 

"  I  have  seen  the  wonder  of  the  valley,"  said  Jefferson. 
"  You  must  go  there  with  me;  we  must  see  it  together." 
"  Do  you  mean  the  bridge?  "  asked  Dabney. 
"  Yes,  the  bridge  that  Time  has  made.    Time  must  have 
been  thousands  of  years  in  making  it.     The  history  of  the 
world  is  in  it  if  one  could  read  it." 

One  summer  day  the  two  started  out  together  on  horse- 
back to  cross  the  mountains  and  visit  the  bridge.  It  must 
have  been  a  journey  of  several  days  through  forests  of  live 
oaks,  magnolias,  gum  trees,  and  pine,  under  almost  continu- 
ous roofs  of  boughs,  fragrant  and  cool,  except  when  the  hills 
emerged  from  their  coverings  and  revealed  the  green  ex- 
panses below  them. 


IX   THE   DAYS   OF  JEFFERSON 

They  came  at  last  to  a  deflection  from  the  forest 
way,  and  stopped  their  horses  on  some  bedded  rock. 
Far  down  below  them  rippled  a  stream,  glittering  in  the 
sim. 

"  This."  said  Jefferson.  "  is  the  bridge." 

k'  But  I  do  not  see  it."  said  Dabney. 

"  Dismount  and  look  down." 

Dabney  left  the  saddle,  and  bent  over  what  had  seemed 
to  him  a  shelf  of  rock.  A  mighty  chasm  appeared,  nearly 
two  hundred  feet  deep  from  where  he  stood. 

"  It  turns  my  head  to  look,"  said  he;  ';  but  where  is  the 
bridge?" 

"  We  will  go  down  into  the  glen  and  look  up,"  said  Jef- 
ferson. 

From  the  glen  the  bridge  appeared  in  all  of  its  stupen- 
dous proportions,  ]ike  a  monument  to  the  untiring  forces 
of  Time. 

The  bridge  was  embowered  with  trees  and  shrubbery, 
and,  to  the  two  youths,  it  was  not  only  a  great  natural  won- 
der, but  as  an  outline  of  the  past  ages  which  it  represented 
it  had  the  force  of  a  revelation.  How  old  were  these  hills? 
When  began  this  great  Virginian  wilderness?  How  would 
Time  end  the  silent  work  that  it  had  begun  eras  ago  in  this 
sublime  arch? 

After  a  rest  in  the  glen  Dabney  said: 

"  Let  ns  ride  over  to  Staunton,  and  see  what  more  the 
Wild  Man  has  learned.  He  is  the  wonder  of  the  valley 
now.  Wno  can  tell  what  there  may  he  in  that  man's  soul, 
or  in  any  man's  soul  \  We  think  too  much  of  things  that 
are  without  us.  Nature  herself  is  but  spirit  in  form:  un- 
seen forces  work  all  the  wonders  of  life.     That  man  has  a 


THE  WONDERFUL  NATURAL  BRIDGE       59 

history.  He  draws  me  toward  him.  I  want  to  know  his 
life.  Let  us  be  friends  to  him;  he  needs  friends." 

They  looked  up  to  the  walls  inside  of  the  arch.  Some 
thirty  feet  from  the  ground  two  letters  appeared  on  the 
stonework  that  Nature  had  formed — G.  W. 

"Who  placed  those  letters  there?"  asked  Dabney. 
"  Some  one,  it  must  have  been,  who  wished  to  be  remem- 
bered as  having  visited  the  place.  He  has  made  the  bridge 
a  monument  to  his  admiration  of  it.  Place  your  initials 
•under  it." 

"  I  think  those  letters  were  made  by  George  Washing- 
ton, the  aid  of  Braddock,  who  warned  Braddock  against 
the  danger  of  Indian  surprise  in  the  wilderness.  He  lived 
near  Winchester  in  his  youth  with  Lord  Fairfax,  and  was 
a  companion  of  the  old  lord.  He  became  one  of  the  sur- 
veyors of  the  Shenandoah.  He  led  the  expedition  to  Great 
Meadows.  He  lives  at  Mount  Vernon,  a  plantation  on  the 
Potomac,  which  Washington's  brother  named  for  Admiral 
Vernon.  Lie  was  one  of  the  heroes  of  the  Northern  cam- 
paign, and  you  have  heard  the  planters  tell  the  story  of 
young  Washington's  warning.  He  placed  his  initials  high. 
He  used  to  ride  down  the  Shenandoah  road." 

"  It  is  his  testimony  to  his  sense  of  the  grandeur  of 
the  place,"  said  Dabney.  "  High  and  alone  it  stands — 
G.  W.  But  Washington  failed  at  Great  Meadows.  He 
has  failed  in  all  of  his  campaigns." 

"  But  he  has  kept  his  honor.  Honor  keeps  a  man  a 
man;  nothing  is  lost  until  honor  is  lost." 

The  two  friends  may  have  seen  something  prophetic  in 
the  initials  that  for  many  years  stood  solitary  amid  Nature's 
own  records  of  the  solemn  past.     We  do  not  know.     They 


60  DJ   THE   DAYS   OF  JEFFERSON 

turned  their  horses'  heads  toward  Staunton  and  rode  for- 
ward in  the  shaded  midsummer  air.  The  red  sunset  shone 
through  the  giant  tree?,  and  the  night  overhung  the  great 
tree  shadows  with  glory. 

An  inn  was  ahead,  and  the  two  friends  talked  as  they 
rode  on  their  silent  way,  hoping  to  see  the  lights  of  the 
hotel  appear. 

"  It  were  vain  to  carve  one's  name  on  any  monument." 
said  Dabney.  "  Time  effaces  all,  even  the  names  on  the 
pyramids:  only  influence  lives." 

They  rode  on  in  silence.  Dabney  was  thinking.  Hi- 
thoughts  were  not  like  other  lads.  He  was  what  the 
farmers  called  "  strange." 

"  It  were  vain  to  collect  a  treasury  of  wealth."  con- 
tinued Dabney.  "  Xo  man  has  ever  taken  a  farthing 
all  his  possessions  into  the  unknown  world:  it  is  only  the 
worth  of  a  man's  soul  that  can  live.  The  dust  of  the  lord 
and  the  slave  is  the  same  dust,  and  the  same  earth  covers 
all  men  and  gathers  all  into  oblivion.  Jefferson,  a  man's 
country  should  be  the  whole  world,  his  neighbors  should 
be  all  the  families  of  mankind.  Every  man  who  i- 
true  to  himself  is  a  brother  to  me:  the  Indian,  the  black 
man.  the  unknown  Selim — Selim  is  a  man.  I  would  givp 
to  every  man  his  birthright — even  to  the  slave.  I  would 
have  all  men  alike — all  have  the  same  feelings,  all  rejoice 
and  suffer.  I  say  these  things  over  and  over.  I  can  not 
help  it." 

"  Dabney,  had  I  the  power.  I  would  give  the  slave  his 
birthright  and  to  all  men  the  wealth  they  create." 

"  I  would  give  to  every  man  his  due."  said  Dabney. 
"  The  right   to  be  free   and  receive   a  just  compensation 


THE  WONDERFUL  NATURAL  BRIDGE        61 

for  everything  is  an  inherent  right.  Is  not  that  the  exact 
truth  of  life?" 

"The  exact  truth  of  life!" 

tk  You  must  teach  that,  when  you  stand  face  to  face 
with  the  world." 

"I  will  write  it  out.  You  must  teach  it;  you  know 
how  to  give  to  truth  a  tongue." 

"  And  you,  a  pen." 

It  was  a  hot,  still  night.  The  tavern  lights  gleamed  at 
last  amid  the  sparks  of  fireflies  through  the  trees.  They 
rested  at  the  old  log  tavern  that  night,  and  the  next  day 
they  went  on  their  way  to  Staunton,  where  they  found 
Selim,  and  prepared  again  to  discover  the  mystery  of  his 
life.     Thev  were  friends  to  him. 


CHAPTER  XI 


THE    MAX    OF    MYSTERY 


Selim  had  improved  in  his  looks.  He  wore  the  clothes 
of  the  valley  and  his  heard  had  been  partly  shaven.  His 
high  forehead  and  luminous  eyes  impressed  the  two  youths 
more  than  before. 

"  Selim  is  beginning  to  talk  our  language,'"  said  the 
old  hunter,  "  and  he  is  either  a  little  off  in  mind  or  else  his 
true  history  is  coming  out.  The  minister  from  Winchester 
thought  he  was  a  dervish,  but  he  is  not." 

Selim  rose  up. 

"  Me  no  dervish — no,  no!     Selim  no  dervish.     No " 

He  whirled  around  swiftly,  after  the  manner  of  the 
dervish  or  the  wandering  monks  of  the  African  and  Ara- 
bian deserts.  His  turning  movements  formed  circles,  and 
with  each  circle  he  said: 

"  Xo,  no!     Selim  no  dervish." 

"  But  he  has  seen  dervishes,'"  said  Dabney  to  the 
hunter.  Dabney  had  seen  pictures  of  dervishes.  "  NTo  one 
could  execute  those  movements  unless  he  had  seen  them 
done.  He  must  know  the  dance  of  the  dervishes.  I  can 
read  so  much  plainly." 

The  old  hunter's  own  heart  seemed  to  go  out  to  this 
strange  man. 
62 


THE  MAN  OF   MYSTERY  63 

"  Now,"  said  he,  "  I  want  you  to  help  me  question 
him,  and  this  hot  morning,  when  I  can  not  go  to  the  fields, 
we  will  try  to  find  out  the  mystery." 

The  hunter  took  a  chair  and  sat  down  under  a  great 
tree  that  stood  between  the  road  and  the  inn.  Selim  sunk 
on  the  ground  beside  him.  Some  Virginians  came  riding 
up,  in  the  morning  heat,  and  sat  at  rest  on  their  perspir- 
ing horses. 

"  Selim,"  said  the  hunter,  "  where  is  your  home — 
where  your  home  land?  " 

He  had  asked  that  question  many  times.  He  deter- 
mined to  settle  it  now. 

Selim  rose  up.  He  felt  the  friendliness  of  his  master's 
tone,  and  saw  the  same  spirit  in  the  others'  eyes.  He 
desired  to  tell  his  history.  There  was  a  beautiful  and  noble 
honesty  in  his  face. 

He  strode  into  the  inn. 

He  returned  and  held  up  some  dates  which  he  had 
bought  from  a  traveling  peddler  from  Winchester,  and  said: 

"  Home  land,  home  land !  " 

"  He  was  born  in  the  land  of  the  fig,"  said  one  of  the 
Virginians  on  horseback. 

"  Fig — Selim — home  land !  " 

He  strode  into  the  inn  again,  and  brought  out  an  orange, 
and  held  it  up  in  the  sunlight  glimmering  through  the  trees. 

"  Home  land,"  said  he,  "  home  land!  " 

This  last  picture  showed  his  attachment  to  the  South, 
but  did  not  add  to  the  information,  for  the  lands  of  orange 
groves  are  many. 

He  looked  down  on  the  valley.  It  was  like  the  outlook 
from  a  summer  house  over  a  green  sea.    A  new  idea  seemed 


64  IN   THE   DAYS   OF  JEFFERSON 

to  light  up  Selim's  niind,  and  he  exclaimed,  as  in  a  vision  of 
delight: 

-Kiosk!  kiosk!  ** 

The  words  conveyed  no  meaning  at  the  time.  Xo  one 
of  the  little  company  gathered  under  the  great  tree  ever 
heard  of  a  kiosk.  They  thought  that  the  word  described 
Selim's  state  as  a  man — his  office  or  past  business  in  some 
land  of  figs,  oranges,  hot  suns,  and  mysteries. 

"  Kiosk!  kiosk!  "  he  exclaimed  again.  All  shook  their 
heads,  and  his  face  fell. 

He  walked  around  the  tree  as  in  great  perplexity.  At 
last  he  gazed  upon  the  clear,  blue  sky  which  hung  over  the 
valley.  The  fiery  sun  filled  it  with  splendor.  Here  and 
there  was  an  eagle  in  the  air,  when  suddenly  his  eye 
caught  an  object  that  made  him  leap.  lie  turned  to  the 
company  with  a  face  full  of  excitement  and  said: 

"  The  same,  the  same,  Allah!  " 

He  ran  into  the  open  space  and  beckoned  the  company 
to  follow  him. 

The  men  hurried  to  the  place  where  he  stood.  He 
pointed  to  the  sky.  In  the  far  blue  expanse,  almost  ob- 
scured by  the  blaze  of  the  sun,  was  the  moon,  quite  dis- 
cernible, a-  it  i-  sometimes  late  in  the  morning,  even  on 
a  sunny  day.  It  looked  like  a  thin  moon,  like  the  shadow 
of  the  moon. 

'"  The  same!  "  he  exclaimed  again.  "  The  home  land, 
the  home  land !  " 

••  The  moon,"'  said  a  man  on  horseback-  "  That  is  noth- 
ing: we  sometimes  see  the  moon  by  day." 

"  Kb — not  ze  moon,  not  ze  moon.  Luna  crescente!  Juna 
crescente!  Juna  crescente!" 


THE  MAN  OF   MYSTERY  65 

He  spread  out  his  hands  and  bowed  over. 

"  Luna  crescente!     Allah!     Allah!" 

He  whirled  like  a  desert  dervish,  and  then  stood  still. 

The  sun  rose  high,  with  a  withering  heat.  The  morn- 
ing moon  faded  in  the  light. 

Selim's  attitude  went  to  the  heart  of  Dabney.  He 
read  in  it  deep  feeling  and  some  sublime  mystery  of 
soul. 

"  He  is  a  Mediterranean  pirate,"  said  one  of  the  Vir- 
ginians. 

"  No,"  said  Dabney.  "  Let  us  think  as  well  of  all  men 
as  we  can.  He  is  a  seeker  after  truth,  in  some  way;  there 
is  no  crime  in  his  soul.  I  would  be  willing  to  trust  myself 
in  the  wilderness  with  him  anywhere.  He  would  be  true 
to  me. 

"  That  man,"  he  added,  "  has  a  soul,  high  and  lofty. 
He  wants  to  know  God;  he  would  die  for  what  he  believed 
to  be  the  truth.  He  is  no  common  man.  His  ideas  are 
higher  than  our  own.  He  has  the  soul  of  a  prophet.  He 
is  being  led  into  the  light.  The  moon  had  a  meaning  to 
him  that  it  has  not  for  us.  Only  high  souls  read  destiny 
in  the  heavenly  bodies.  The  heavens  to  such  are  the  fields 
of  God." 

Dabney  was  waxing  fervent  in  his  usual  manner,  and 
he  continued  to  pour  forth  his  belief  that  Selim  was  some 
high  soul,  in  unusual  language. 

The  Virginians  listened,  half  in  amusement,  half  in 
wonder,  and  they  could  not  but  feel  that  in  so  praising  Selim, 
and  seeing  a  high  soul  in  him,  young  Dabney  himself  showed 
a  high  soul.  A  true  man  sees  himself  in  another  as  in  a 
clear  glass,  and  a  man's  estimate  of  a  stranger  is  usually 


G$  IN  THE  DAYS  OF  JEFFERSON 

that  of  himself.  As  Dabney  loved  every  one,  he  saw  only 
what  was  good  in  every  one. 

■'  Selim  is  a  brother  to  all  true  souls,"  he  said,  in  a  clear 
tone.     He  was  dreaming  his  dream  of  liberty  again. 

The  two  young  students  rode  away  in  the  oool  of  the 
afternoon,  and  the  mystery  of  Selim  was  as  deep  and  more 
interesting  than  ever. 

In  the  evening  Dabney  suddenly  called  after  his  friend: 

«g|     |op — halt!    Something  has  come  to  me !     That 

moon  was  a  ■ 

"  But  what  meaning  has  that-  " 

"  The  crescent  rnoon  stands  for  Islam,  the  East,  the  faith 
of  the  prophet,  Mohammedanism." 

••  I  n    ."  said  Jefferson.     "  He  is  a  Mohammedan." 


CHAPTER  XII 


THE    TURNING    POINT    IN    LIFE 


The  two  friends  ascended  the  mountains.  But  there 
was  something  in  the  personality  of  Selim  that  held  their 
thoughts,  and  their  talk  again  and  again  reverted  to  the 
Wild  Man  of  the  Shenandoah,  a  man  who  was  destined 
incidentally  to  come  into  Jefferson's  experience  and 
thoughts  for  many  years. 

Young  Dabney,  as  we  have  said,  saw  glorious  possi- 
bilities in  evety  one.  He  lived  in  his  thoughts  while  on  his 
journey.     To  ride  was  to  think. 

"  That  wanderer,"  said  he,  "  is  a  seeker  after  truth. 
There  are  no  nobler  souls  on  earth  than  seekers  after  truth, 
be  they  brown,  or  white,  or  black.  "With  a  face  to  the 
light,  color  does  not  count.  I  am  sorry  that  I  did  not  ex- 
press my  faith  in  him  to  him.  Tell  a  man  that  you  believe 
in  him,  and  his  soul  will  grow.  Show  a  man  that  you  have 
seen  his  good  qualities,  and  the  good  that  is  in  him  will 
expand  and  east  out  the  evil.  I  could  convert  the  world  in 
that  way  if  I  had  the  opportunity.  Help  every  man,  and 
hinder  none,  and  give  to  every  man  his  birthright." 

"  I  have  heard  you  say  that  so  many  times,  Dabney, 
that  I  have  come  to  look  upon  you  as  a  principle.  You 
seem  to  measure  all  men  alike,  as  though  all  would  have 
6  67 


68  IN   THE   DAYS   OF   JEFFERSON 

equal  possibilities,  if  they  bad  equal  opportunities.     You 

are  content  to  be  numbered  as  just  one  man  among  the 
whole  human  race,  to  be  neither  higher  nor  lower  than 
others,  but  to  help  all  men  to  rise  higher.  In  your  view  all 
the  world  i^  one  man,  and  that  one  man  is  struggling  to  be  a 
better  man." 

"  Jefferson,  Jefferson,  I  am  a  believer  in  inherent 
rights,  which  is  the  universal  law.  You  are  inclined  to 
lie  a  freethinker;  whatever  you  think,  and  however,  your 
inner  life  tells  you  that  the  principles  proclaimed  by 
Christ  on  the  Mount  of  Beatitudes  are  true." 

"Yes,  Dabney,  that  I  do  believe,  although  you  may 
think  me  a  wanderer  from  the  faith.  I  will  treat  every 
man  as  I  would  have  him  treat  me." 

"  Are  you  sure  of  that'  " 

"  Yes,  sure." 

"  Then  you,  like  me,  believe  in  the  inherent  rights  of 
every  man." 

"  Yes,  Dabney." 

"  Then  we  are  brothers  in  the  true  sense,  and  what  you 
believe  you  must  live." 

His  young  soul  seemed  inspired  in  these  bright  days 
of  dewy  mornings  and  red  evenings  as  he  passed  over  the 
mountains. 

Suddenly  he  reined  his  horse. 

•'  Jefferson,  there  was  one  clew  that  we  did  not  follow 
at  the  inn." 

'•  And  what  was  that?" 

"The  scar.  As  the  face  of  Selim  grow-  more  beauti- 
ful that  ugly  scar  deepens  and  blackens.  "Why  did  we  not 
try  to  find  out  more  about  that  in  sign  language '.  " 


THE   TURNING   POINT   IN   LIFE  69 

"  It  may  have  been  a  battle  scar." 

"  Dervishes  do  not  light." 

"  But  you  have  no  proof  that  Selim  is  a  monk  of  the 
desert.  If  so,  how  came  he  here,  of  all  places  in  the  world, 
hundreds  of  miles  from  any  coast,  and  no  man  seems  to 
have  seen  him  until  he  rose  up,  as  a  wild  man,  from  the 
bushes." 

"  That  scar  may  be  a  noble  one,  Jefferson." 

"  You  see  something  noble  in  every  scar.  Dabney,  you 
will  yet  see  some  high  and  good  intent  in  the  heart  of 
George  III.  A  wolf  has  white  teeth  and  a  hawk  strong 
pens.     Did  you  notice  anything  peculiar  about  that  scar?" 

"  Yes,  it  was  deep,  and  the  hand  that  made  it  was  a 
malicious  one.  It  was  not  made  by  a  battle-axe,  but  was 
dealt  by  a  malicious  hand,  and  Selim  gave  no  cause  for  the 
blow:' 

"  How  do  you  know?  " 

"  All  the  rest  of  Selim's  face  bears  witness  that  the 
scar  was  unjustly  dealt.  You  must  agree  with  me  there. 
Selim  is  a  victim  of  some  great  injustice.  I  feel  that  it  is 
so  in  my  soul.     My  heart  goes  out  to  him." 

"  Your  heart  goes  out  to  every  one  who  has  suffered 
wrong.  Dabney,  I  account  it  a  blessing  that  my  life  has 
fallen  under  such  an  influence  as  yours.  It  was  a  fortu- 
nate day  that  I  locked  hands  with  you.  My  affection  for 
vou  grows  stronger  and  stronger.  If  I  ever  have  great 
influence  in  the  world,  how  much  of  it  I  will  owe  to  you! 
I  believe  in  friendship.  It  makes  or  breaks  life.  My  life 
must  follow  your  heart." 

Jefferson  indeed  believed  in  friendship.  His  friends 
came  to  make  the  atmosphere  in  which  he  grew. 


7"  IX   THE   DAYS   OF  JEFFERSON 

It  is  a  g'»od  ideal  for  a  youth  to  have  some  intimate 
friend,  and  one  whom  he  can  lift  or  who  will  lift  him. 
The  power  of  the  lmman  heart  is  one  of  the  greatest  of 
influences.  Sympathy  as  an  influence  outlives  everything. 
Longfellow,"  said  Lowell,  "is  not  the  greatest  poet  of 
this  generation,  but  he  will  outlive  us  all."  He  who  sym- 
pathizes most  with  mankind  will  live  the  longest  in  the 
heart  of  mankind. 

It  is  not  only  a  noble  thing  for  a  youth  to  have  an 
intimate,  good  companion  of  his  own  age  who  will  help  him 
grow  into  usefulness  and  honor,  but  it  is  also  a  very  wise 
thing  for  a  lad  to  share  the  intimate  companionship  of  some 
older  person  whose  right  principles  in  life  are  settled,  and  tbe 
fruits  of  whose  life  show  the  soil  from  which  they  sprang. 

Such  a  friend  young  Jefferson  made. 

As  he  rode  up  to  his  home  he  found  this  friend  there. 
This  man's  name  was  George  Wythe.  He  was  a  Greek 
scholar,  a  mathematician,  and  a  moral  philosopher.  This 
man  for  a  long  term  of  years  became  a  heart  friend  of  Jeffer- 
son. He  led  him,  as  it  were,  up  toward  the  heights  from  his 
youth. 

Would  not  the  reader  like  to  have  a  clear  view  of  the 
character  of  this  man.  whom,  next  to  Dabney  Oarr,  to 
whom  he  had  pledged  brotherhood,  voting  Jefferson  chose 
for  his  companion,  and  followed  as  though  he  were  a 
Heaven-appointed  guardian. 

TTe  will  let  Jefferson  describe  him  in  his  own  lan- 
guage, and  the  passages  of  this  quotation  will  bear  reading 
twice.  Says  Jefferson  in  his  Xotes  for  the  Biography  of 
this  friend : 

'•  Xo  man  ever  left  behind  him  a  character  more  ven- 


THE  TURNING  POINT   IN  LIFE  71 

erated  than  George  Wythe.  His  virtue  was  of  the  purest 
tint;  his  integrity  inflexible  and  his  justice  exact;  of  warm 
patriotism,  and,  devoted  as  he  was  to  liberty  and  the 
natural  and  equal  rights  of  man,  he  might  truly  be  called 
the  Cato  of  his  country  without  the  avarice  of  the  Koman, 
for  a  more  disinterested  person  never  lived.  Temperance 
and  regularity  in  all  his  habits  gave  him  a  general  good 
health,  and  his  unaffected  modesty  and  suavity  of  man- 
ners endeared  him  to  every  one.  He  was  of  easy  elocu- 
tion, his  language  chaste,  methodical  in  the  arrangement 
of  his  matter,  learned  and  logical  in  the  use  of  it,  and  of 
great  urbanity  in  debate;  not  quick  of  apprehension,  but, 
with  a  little  time,  profound  in  penetration  and  sound  in 
conclusion.  In  his  philosophy  he  was  firm,  and  neither 
troubling,  nor  perhaps  trusting,  any  one  with  his  religious 
creed,  he  left  the  world  to  the  conclusion  that  that  religion 
must  be  good  which  could  produce  a  life  of  such  exem- 
plary virtue." 

Jefferson  went  to  college  at  Williamsburg. 

There  came  a  brief  period  of  gayety  and  variety  into 
Jefferson's  life  at  this  time.  He  wore  ruffles  and  laces, 
danced  much,  and  lent  himself  to  the  charms  of  the  violin. 
He  describes  this  period  in  certain  letters  to  John  Page,  his 
college  chum,  afterward  Governor  of  Virginia.  Mr.  Page 
came  to  build  up  an  enchanting  estate  called  Kosewell,  per- 
haps on  account  of  the  rose  gardens  there.  Selim  spent  his 
last  days  on  this  estate,  as  you  shall  be  told,  but  he  would 
never  sleep  in  the  house  there.  He  was  there  Selim  of 
the  haystacks  or  of  the  barns.  Houses  seemed  like  prisons 
to  him;  his  fevered  brain  must  seek  rest  in  free  places,  in 
the  unconfmed  air. 


72  IN  THE  DAYS  OP  JEFFEESON 

In  those  brief  gay  days  Jefferson  used  to  dance  in  the 
Apollo  room  of  the  old  Raleigh  Tavern,  and  to  play  the 
riddle  before  the  roaring  fires  of  great  country  houses. 

He  had  not  seen  much  of  the  world  at  this  time.  To 
read  his  letters,  one  would  suppose  that  the  "  vice-regal  " 
court  at  Williamsburg  in  Governor  Fauquier's  time  was 
almost  as  splendid  as  that  of  the  Georges.  This  Governor 
was  a  roisterer,  a  gambler,  a  hard  drinker,  a  man  of  social 
polish  and  of  the  world.  He  rilled  his  "  vice-regal  "  court 
with  men  like  himself,  was  somewhat  of  a  philosopher,  and 
his  heart  warmed  up  toward  young  Thomas  Jefferson.  He 
was  no  fit  host  for  the  young  student,  notwithstanding  his 
elegant  manner,  his  "  palace,"  and  his  cultured  company. 

Jefferson,  who  had  loved  the  violin  from  his  boyhood, 
now  developed  a  passion  for  music.  He  came  to  own  a 
historic  violin,  and  to  make  one  of  his  own.  His  soul  found 
happy  interpretation  in  music  and  he  was  able  to  throw 
enchantment  into  the  violin.  He  loved  to  play  the  instru- 
ment all  of  his  life,  but  only  at  this  period  does  it  seem 
to  have  become  a  passion  with  him.  The  hours  that  he 
passed  at  the  "  palace  "  were  very  different  from  those  he 
had  spent  with  Dabney  Carr  in  the  woods  discoursing  on  the 
rights  of  man  and  what  men  could  become  if  they  were  to  be 
governed  by  justice. 

Would  the  heart  of  young  Thomas  Jefferson  follow  the 
example  of  gay  Governor  Fauquier  or  would  it  return  to 
Dabney  Carr?  From  which  would  his  life  receive  the 
ruling  suggestion  ? 

Which  would  become  the  school  of  his  soul — the  simple 
home  of  Dabney  Carr  or  the  "  palace  "  of  the  roistering, 
gambling,  vice-royal  Governor? 


THE  TURNING   POINT   IN  LIFE 


73 


The  college  stood  at  one  end  of  the  town  and  the  so- 
called  palace  at  the  other,  and  in  one  Jefferson  studied  hard 
by  day  and  to  the  other  he  sometimes  lent  the  charm  of  his 
fiddle  by  night. 

Governor  Fauquier  had  two  attractions  for  young  Jef- 
ferson— his  political  knowledge  and  his  philosophy. 

The  Governor  gambled  freely  and 
he  loved  tobacco.  Jefferson  never 
learned  to  play  cards,  and,  after  a 
time,  would  not  have  a  card  in  his 
.  house.  He  had  no  time  for  the  idle- 
ness of  tobacco.  The  violin  seemed  to 
be  the  only  enchanter  that  tended  to 
lead  him  into  frivolous  life. 

Thomas  Jefferson  used  to  meet  at 
the    tables    and    in    the    halls    of    the 
palace  that  most  worthy  man  of  the 
times,  George  Wythe,  a  chancellor,  a    Q&e^y^/fi y^A& 
moralist,    and    a    Hebrew   and    Greek 

scholar,  who  discussed  life  with  the  courtly  Governor  from 
the  highest  viewpoints,  and  who  sought  to  exercise  a  benef- 
icent influence  over  him.  His  character  was  as  white  and 
shaftlike  as  marble;  he  was  a  wholly  incorruptible  man  amid 
triflers. 

From  the  true  companionship  of  Dabney  Carr  the 
heart  of  Jefferson  turned,  not  to  the  vanities  of  the  Gov- 
ernor's little  court,  but  to  the  thoughts  of  George  Wythe. 
The  Governor  had  accomplishments  without  correct  habits; 
the  chancellor  had  those  high  ideals  and  moral  views  that 
compelled  a  life  of  conspicuous  virtues. 

There  came  a  time  when  Jefferson  saw  that  he  must 


74  IX   THE   DAYS   OP   JEFFERSON 

follow  the  best  that  was  in  him,  when  he  niust  turn  from 
frivolities  to  the  habits  that  make  men.  The  lights  of  the 
hall  of  idling  pleasures  are  not  the  stars. 

He  must  end  all  deleterious  tendencies,  and  in  his  inner 
consciousness  he  said  "  Stop!  " 

Jefferson  said  little  about  these  matters  to  his  friends 
at  the  time.     Inward  convictions  are  often  silent. 

Years  afterward  he  told  the  tale  to  his  grandson.  It  is 
worthy  to  be  read  many  times. 

'"  When,"  he  says.  "  I  recollect  the  various  sort-  of 
bad  company  with  which  I  associated  from  time  to  time, 
I  am  astonished  that  I  did  not  turn  off  with  some  of  them 
and  become  as  worthless  to  society  as  they  were.  But  I 
had  the  good  fortune  to  become  acquainted  very  early  with 
some  characters  of  high  standing,  and  to  feel  an  incessant 
wish  to  become  what  they  were." 

.     These  words  "  incessant  wish  "  are  golden.     They  ex- 
press gravitation  and  ruling  suggestions  of  life. 

Among  these  men  of  truly  honest  lives  were  Mr.  Wythe, 
Dr.  Small,  and  Peyton  Randolph.  Their  characters  were 
held  in  unqualified  respect.  The  young  student  came  to  see 
that  character  is  everything. 

The  rest  of  his  narrative  records  the  decisive  hours  of 
his  life.  All  that  followed  was  pivoted  upon  the  experience 
of  which  he  thus  speaks: 

"  Under  temptations  and  difficulties  I  would  ask  my- 
self, "  TThat  would  Dr.  Small  do  in  such  a  case  I  AYliat 
would  Mr.  Wythe  do?  Peyton  Randolph?  TVTiat  would 
these  men  do  in  such  a  situation?  TYliat  course  in  such 
a  case  shall  I  pursue  that  would  secure  the  approbation  of 
men  of  honor  like  the- 


THE   TURNING  POINT   IN  LIFE  75 

"  I  am  certain  that  this  mode  of  deciding  on  my  con- 
duct in  life  tended  more  to  correctness  than  any  reasoning 
I  possessed.  I  never  could  be  in  doubt  which  of  any  two 
courses  they  would  pursue." 

George  Wythe  was  almost  twice  the  student's  age, 
but  the  latter  saw  in  him  the  character  that  he  would  him- 
self form  in  time. 

Men,  as  a  rule,  become  a  part  of  those  with  whom  they 
associate.  Says  Tennyson,  "  I  am  a  part  of  all  whom  I 
have  met." 

There  comes  a  time  in  most  young  lives  when  a  choice 
of  companions  and  ways  of  influence  is  decisive.  It  was 
thus  with  Jefferson. 

On  going  home  from  college,  he  used  sometimes  to  stop 
at  the  houses  of  his  kinsmen,  and  he  was  especially  wel- 
come there  during  the  holidays  if  he  had  his  kit  with 
him. 

The  violin,  especially  if  a  small,  portable  one,  was  called 
a  "  kit  "  in  those  merrymaking  days.  There  was  another  lad 
who  made  the  "  kit  "  a  witchery  in  the  Blue  Kidge  country. 
This  lively  player  was  Patrick  Henry,  and  a  prosperous 
planter  invited  both  of  these  young  violinists  to  spend  some 
time  at  his  house  during  the  Christmas  holidays.  Arisits 
after  the  old  Virginia  hospitality  rarely  lasted  less  than 
a  week.  ■  Hosts  and  guests  were  usually  Episcopalians,  and 
the  Episcopal  Church  has  been  famous  in  all  Christian 
places  and  times  for  its  celebration  of  Christmas. 

With  the  English  Church  in  many  places  Christmas  has 
not  been  a  day,  but  a  tide — Yuletide — the  festival  lasting 
from  Christmas  eve  to  Twelfth-night,  or  twelve  days  from 
Christmas. 


7.;  IX   THE   DAYS   OF   JEFFERSON 

The  host  waa  a  burgess.  EEs  invitation-  to  sit  down 
before  roaring  fires  and  tell  candlelight  stories  at  Yule- 
tide  were  accepted  by  the  prosperous  tobacco  planters  in 
all  "  the  country  round."  And  with  them  came  young 
courtly  Thomas  Jefferson  with  his  kit  and  rude,  awkward 
Patrick  Henry  with  his  riddle.  It  was  the  first  time  that 
these  young  men  met. 

Mistletoes   gladdened    the   halls,    snuffboxes   made 
euitous    journeys    about    the    rooms,    and    "  natural    story- 
tellers"  reddened  their  faces  before  the  fire. 

At  this  particular  merrymaking  Jefferson  was  on 
his  way  to  college  at  Williamsburg.  It  was  his  cus- 
tom to  stop  at  hospitable  farmhouses  and  to  make 
long  visits  on  the  road.  He  was  related  to  a  num- 
ber of  the  best  families  of  the  province,  and  a  lad 
with  a  fine  family  name  who  could  play  the  kit.  or 
entertain  in  any  way.  was  always  welcome  to  the  planters' 
door-. 

Patrick  Henry  could  do  more  than  play  the  violin. 
He  could  crack  joke-  as  well  as  walnuts,  and  he  could 
mimic  whatever  he  found  that  was  droll  or  insincere  in 
life.  He  was  looked  upon  as  a  "  merry  blade  " — to  use  a 
common  term. 

Christmas  eve,  the  time  of  gladsome  devotion,  passed, 
and  Christmas  night,  the  time  of  frolics,  came,  and  the 
two  lads  played  singly  and  together.  The  table-  were 
laden  with  the  luxuries  of  the  time,  and  were  spread 
open  and  free  to  all.  Every  one  rode  on  horsebar-k  at 
that  time,  and  many  people  in  coaches  in  those  abundant 
day-:  and  horses3  hoofs,  and  betimes  chariot-,  were  heard 
outside  "f  the  great  oak  portico. 


THE   TURNING   POIXT   IX   LIFE  77 

The  old  people  told  stories  in  the  early  evening  before 
the  frolics,  and  the  two  violinists  played  lively  tunes  be- 
tween the  story-telling. 

The  story-telling  began — kit  stories,  or  stories  with 
"  interludes  "  of  violin  solos  or  duets. 


chapter  xrn 

A    KIT    STORY THE    SEVEN    BEASTS    THAT    WERE    TAMED 

The  "  natural  story-teller/'  as  he  was  called,  was  on 
this  occasion  a  tall  man,  with  thick  eyebrows  and  with 
hair  sprinkled  with  gray. 

"  It  all  happened  in  Governor  Spotswood's  day."  he 
began.  He  held  up  a  curious  object  in  the  light  of  the 
candles;  he  turned  it.  and  as  he  did  so  it  flashed.  It  was 
a  golden  horseshoe. 

"  The  Governor  gave  me  that."  he  said.  "  after  we  had 
climbed  the  Blue  Ridge.  I  will  tell  my  story,  and.  Pat- 
rick, when  I  come  to  an  interesting  point — if  I  do — where 
the  people  here  should  stop  and  imagine,  play  us  a  lively 
air — the  Devil's  Dream  or  a  hornpipe." 

Patrick  Henry  sat  just  outside  of  the  room,  in  his  usual 
careless,  awkward  way.  on  a  meal  chest,  kit  in  hand. 

"  Go  on — go  on  with  your  story,  and  if  it  be  worth 
hearin"  IT1  catch  it  up  this  way " 

He  struck  up  a  lively  air  on  the  violin,  which  caused 
all  the  men  to  beat  their  feet  on  the  floor  after  the  haunt- 
ing rhythm. 

"  Now  that's  a  good  air."  said  the  natural  story-teller. 
"  That  sets  my  mind  to  goin'.  It  is  a  story  of  seven  beasts 
that  I  have  to  tell,  and  there  is  a  Christmas  meanin'  in 
78 


A  KIT  STORY  79 

the  story — a  soul.  Every  story  should  have  a  soul;  a  story 
will  not  live  if  it  have  no  soul. 

"  We  were  encamped  on  the  Blue  Ridge — Governor 
Spotswood  and  as  merry  a  troop  of  men  as  ever  broke  the 
wilderness.  The  Indians  who  journey  from  the  south, 
from  as  far  as  Louisiana,  to  the  sea,  encamp  on  that  place, 
for  it  overlooks  the  forests  and  mountains,  and  the  streams 
begin  to  gather  there  and  form  rivers;  the  great  waters  that 
flow  to  the  Mississippi  start  there;  the  sunrises  and  sunsets 
are  glorious;  one  there  seems  to  stand  above  the  earth. 

"  There  are  Indian  trails  that  run  from  the  place  to 
the  river  country.  One  of  them  is  said  to  go  all  the  way 
to  the  Ohio,  and  the  other  to  the  Mississippi  in  the  Louisi- 
ana country. 

"  While  we  were  encamped  there  I  met  an  old  Indian 
woman  who  could  talk  a  little  English.  I  had  learned 
something  of  the  common  words  of  the  Indians  of  the 
river  country,  and  we  sat  down  to  talk  together.  I  said 
to  her: 

"  '  Nigar  wie,'  and  she  answered,  'Ugh.'  There  was 
a  friendly  sound  in  the  '  ugh,'  and  she  moved  into  the  sun- 
light as  she  uttered  that  one  word,  which  I  deemed  a 
good  sign. 

"  A  pond  gleamed  beneath  us  a  mile  or  more  distant, 
but  full  in  view.  The  old  woman  opened  her  blanket,  and, 
pointing  downward  with  her  withered  hand,  said: 

"  '  Sy-sip.' 

"  I  understood  her.    She  meant  '  duck.' 

"  '  I  go  see,'  said  I.  Game  was  needed  in  the  camp, 
and  if  there  were  good  duck  hunting  in  the  lake  below 
I  was  ready  to  meet  the  need. 


80  IN  THE   DAYS   OF  JEFFERSON 

"  But  as  I  said  '  I  go  see  '  lier  small,  black  eves  began 
to  spread  open,  so  as  to  almost  cover  the  top  of  her  flat 
face. 

"  '  No  go,'  she  said.  '  Beasts  are  there — seven  beasts — 
nish  wissic — seven.'  She  bowed  her  head  seven  times  and 
repeated,  '  Nish  wissic — seven.' 

"  I  much  wondered  what  she  could  mean.  There 
might  be  wild  beasts,  such  as  panthers,  bears,  or  catamounts, 
there,  but  why  should  there  be  seven? 

"'Seven?'  I  asked. 

"  '  Ah  '  (yes). 

"  '  Only  seven? ' 

"  '  Nish  wissic — seven.' 

"  She  sat  in  silence,  smoking.  Some  crows  flew  over, 
and  she  said,  '  Ca  cawken.'  Then  she  pointed  down  again 
and  said,  '  ^Ya  wois  '  (goose,  or  white  goose). 

"  She  gathered  herself  up,  wrapping  her  blanket  again 
around  her,  and  as  she  did  so  seemed  to  fling  down  the 
words  '  Na  may  '  (sturgeon). 

"  I  understood  that  the  lake  was  full  of  game.  I  gazed 
down  silently  for  a  time,  and  I  saw  a  blue  spiral  of  smoke 
rising  from  the  shores. 

"  '  I  go  see,'  said  I  again. 

" '  ~No  go,'  said  the  squaw,  her  eyes  dilating  again. 
'  Beasts — seven  beasts.' 

"'Seven?'  said  I. 

"  '  Seven,'  said  she.  '  Hate  English — seven  beasts — 
hate  English.' 

"  I  started  up. 

"  I  had  by  my  side  a  pouch  in  which  were  certain 
trinkets  which  I  carried  with  me  for  presents  to  any  wan- 


A  KIT  STORY  81 

clering  Indians  I  might  meet,  and  whose  favor  I  might 
like  to  secure.  Among  these  trinkets  were  pieces  of  steel 
(appets)  for  striking  fire. 

"  I  opened  the  pouch  to  find  some  suitable  gift  to  give 
the  friendly  old  woman,  when  I  chanced  to  take  out  a 
piece  of  fire  steel. 

"  She  bent  forward  with  wide,  distending  eyes. 

"  '  Appet,'  she  said.  '  Seven  appets  kill  seven  beasts 
that  hate  English.' 

"  My  wonder  grew  at  these  words.  I  gave  her  a  string 
of  glass  beads. 

"  She  rose  up  slowly. 

"  '  Give  me  seven  fire  steels,'  said  she.  '  I  go  with 
yon.  I  kill  the  seven  beasts  with  the  seven  fire  steels.  I 
know  how.' 

"  I  counted  out  seven  fire  steels,  or  appets,  and  handed 
them  to  the  old  crone.  I  could  see  a  kindly  look  come 
into  her  hard  face. 

"  '  I  go,'  she  said.     '  You  follow.' 

"  I  followed  her  down  to  the  pond. 

"  She  acted  strangely  as  Ave  approached  the  pond.  She 
would  stop  at  times  and  say,  '  Tish ! ' 

"  We  came  to  a  grassy  opening,  where  a  tent  of  skins 
rose  out  of  the  river  weeds. 

"  Presently  a  tall  Indian  came  out  of  the  tent.  He 
uttered  a  quick  cry  as  he  saw  us,  and  then  six  other  tall 
Indians  appeared — seven  in  all. 

"  The  scene  that  followed  haunts  me  now.  I  can  see 
it  in  my  mind." 

Here  Patrick  Henry's  fiddle  sent  out  a  mournful  air, 
and  suddenly  stopped  like  a  sympathetic  accompaniment. 


82  EN   THE   DAYS  OF  JEFFERSON 

"  The  seven  Indians  formed  a  row.  One  was  an  old 
man  and  the  others  were  young.  I  saw  that  they  were 
the  old  man's  sons.  They  all  suddenly  lifted  their  hands 
to  their  foreheads,  as  if  shading  the  sun.  The  old  woman 
stopped  and  held  up  her  beads  and  shook  them.  I  halted 
beside  her. 

"  The  seven  Indians  began  to  approach  us,  bowing  their 
heads  and  saying.  '  Wey,  wey,  wey! ' 

"  They  halted  after  a  certain  number  of  steps,  and 
then  repeated,  'Wey,  wey,  wey!3  and  moved  again,  as  if 
plunging  forward. 

"Their  breasts  were  painted.  They  wore  their  his- 
tory on  their  skin,  for  the  figures  on  their  breasts  recounted 
deeds  of  valor. 

"  They  approached  us  slowly  in  this  way.  I  dropped 
my  gun  by  my  side,  and  assumed  a  look  of  confidence. 

'"As  they  came  nearer,  saying,  c  Wey,  wey,  wey!'  and 
halting,  they  began  to  form  a  circle  around  us,  and  at 
last  stopped,  so  that  we  were  surrounded  by  the  seven 
hunters  and  warriors. 

"  '  Seven  beasts/  said  the  old  crone.  '  Seven  beasts  in 
here.'  She  put  her  hand  over  her  heart.  '  Seven  beasts  in 
here — painters  [panthers] — and  they  fly  at  the  English. 
They  no  fly  at  you.     I  kill  the  beasts.' 

"  I  stood  amazed.     What  was  to  follow  I  " 

Here  the  young  Virginian's  fiddle  struck  up  My  Love 
is  in  the  Cold  Ground,  but  stopped  suddenly  as  before,  so  as 
to  stimulate  expectation. 

"  One  of  the  Indians  went  back  to  the  tent  of  the 
skins,  and  returned  with  seven  war  clubs,  six  of  which  he 
gave  to  the  others. 


A  KIT  STORY  §3 

Seven  beasts,'  said  the  old  crone.     '  They  whet  their 
claws,  but  they  no  harm  you.' 

"I  had  a  peace  pipe  in  my  pouch.  I  took  it  out  of 
the  pouch  and  carried  it  to  the  old  Indian  and  offered  it 
to  him. 

"  He  raised  his  left  hand,  turned  it  aside  to  his  head, 
and  stood  with  it  turned  aside.  The  six  other  Indians  did 
the  same.  It  meant  hostility,  as  I  could  see.  He  would 
not  receive  the  peace  pipe. 

"  I  was  now  alarmed.  I  was  surrounded  by  seven 
stout  Indians  with  war  clubs,  and  only  the  friendly  look 
of  the  old  woman  seemed  to  stand  between  me  and  cap- 
tivity. 

"How  could  the  situation  change? 

"The  old  woman  moved  toward  the  chief  Indian— 
whom  I  could  see  was  her  brave— slowly,  as  if  under  a 
spell. 

"  He  waited  her  coming,  stolid  as  though  he  had  been 
made  of  a  piece  of  clay. 

"  She  took  a  piece  of  the  flint  steel  from  her  apron, 
and  held  it  up  and  said: 

"  'Appet.'  She  pointed  up  to  the  sun  and  then  at  me, 
and  held  out  the  appet  to  the  old  man. 

"  He  did  not  move.  But  presently  he  raised  his  face 
to  the  sun.  Then  he  dropped  his  club  and  held  out  his 
hand  for  the  fire  steel. 

'  One  beast  dead,'  said  the  old  crone  in  English.  '  He 
gone  away— gone  away  to  look  for  the  darkness.  He  come 
no  more  again.    Peyac  '  (one). 

"  She  gave  an  appet  to  the  oldest  of  the  young  hunters. 
He  received  it,  looking  up  to  the  sun. 
7 


S4  IX   THE   DAYS   OF  JEFFERSOX 

"  '  Two  beasts  dead.  They  come  no  more.  Gone  to 
look  for  the  night.     Nishea  '  (two). 

"  She  gave  an  appet  to  another  young  Indian.  He  took 
it  and  began  to  dance. 

"  '  Three   beasts  dead,'   said  she.      '  Nishten  '    (three). 

"  She  gave  an  appet  to  the  fourth  Indian.  He  seized  it 
and  began  to  leap  about. 

"  '  Four  beasts  dead/  said  she.  '  What  a  mighty 
hunter  am  I.  Ho,  ho!  Four  painters  dead.  Newway  ' 
(four). 

"  The  other  three  Indians  rushed  toward  her  and 
seized  the  appets  she  intended  for  them.  All  of  the  In- 
dians now  began  to  shout  and  to  leap  about,  holding  up 
the  appets  in  their  black  hands. 

"  '  Seven  beasts  dead,'  said  the  old  woman.  '  They 
are  all  gone — gone  into  the  air  to  look  for  the  dark.  Kill 
the  beast  in  here,'  she  said,  putting  her  hand  on  her  breast, 
'  and  a  painter  becomes  your  friend.  This  is  the  way  the 
good  spirits  make  war.' 

"  Her  face  really  beamed  with  benevolence,  and  her 
eye  twinkled  as  she  watched  her  old  brave  and  her  six 
sons  dancing  about. 

"  The  Indians  whirled  for  a  time.  Then  the  old  man 
came  up  to  me  and  took  the  peace  pipe  out  of  my  pouch, 
and  beckoned  me  to  follow  him  to  the  tent,  and  we  all  sat 
down — the  seven  beasts  were  gone. 

"  The  pond  was  full  of  game.  "White  geese  were  there. 
I  remained  overnight  with  the  family,  and  when  the  shades 
of  night  fell  down  from  the  mountain,  and  the  stars  came 
out  and  the  lake  was  still,  the  old  woman  said,  '  There  are 
no  beasts  here;  all  gone  into  the  night.' 


A   KIT  STORY  85 

"  Now,  Patrick,  my  boy,  this  is  my  story,  and  you  and 
Tommy  Jefferson  may  play  a  minuet." 

A  feast  of  Christmas  cakes,  apples,  and  nuts  fol- 
lowed the  music,  and  merriment  lasted  until  early  cock- 
crowing. 


CHAPTER  XIV 


SELIM    MAKES    A    DISCLOSURE 


It  became  known  through  the  Shenandoah  Valley  that 
Selim  the  Wild  Man  claimed  to  be  a  Mohammedan.  The 
people  of  the  valley  were  very  religious,  and  there  was  a 
universal  desire  among  those  who  believed  so  much  of  his 
story  to  teach  him  Christianity.  Every  one  who  met  him 
tried  to  teach  him  something,  and  he  began  to  acquire 
English  rapidly.  It  was  found  that  he  could  talk  Greek, 
and  that  he  knew  a  little  of  Spanish.  That  he  was  not  a 
Greek,  but  that  he  was  a  Greek  scholar,  was  certain,  and 
the  latter  fact  caused  the  story  of  his  life  as  he  was  able 
to  disclose  it  to  be  generally  credited.  Many  thought  him 
to  be  mildly  insane,  but  few  thought  him  to  be  an  im- 
postor. 

Dabney  Carr's  tender  heart,  which  sympathized  with 
misfortune  wherever  it  was  made  known,  carried  with  it  a 
wound — the  deep  scar  on  Selim's  beautiful  face  haunted 
him.  He  interested  one  of  his  most  devout  friends  to  crass 
the  Blue  Ridge  and  study  the  mysterious  stranger. 

This  man,  who  we  will  call  Locke — Father  Locke — 
was  intensely  interested  in  the  case,  and  desired  to  make 
a  proselyte  of  Selim,  to  bring  him  to  his  view  of  faith. 

"  I  am  going  to  visit  Selim,  and  when  I  return  I  will 


SELIM  MAKES  A  DISCLOSURE  g7 

tell  you  who  he  is,"  he  said  to  Jefferson.     "  I  feel  within 
that  I  am  sent  to  him." 

Father  Locke  belonged  to  an  order  of  traveling 
preachers  whose  influence  was  long  felt  in  the  valley. 
Elder  Leland,  who  was  believed  to  have  caused  Madison 
to  be  elected  President,  many  years  after  these  events, 
and  who  brought  a  mammoth  cheese  to  Jefferson  from 
Cheshire,  Massachusetts,  after  the  inauguration  of  the 
latter  as  President,  belonged  to  this  order  of  truly  godly 
men.  Of  Elder  Leland  we  shall  have  some  stories  to  tell; 
he  became  a  prophet  of  the  Virginia  wilderness  in  his  day. 

Father  Locke  mounted  his  horse  and  set  out  with  the 
purpose  to  do  what  no  one  else  in  the  valley  had  ever  had 
the  opportunity  of  doing — convert  a  Mohammedan.  In 
those  days  ministers  thought  they  heard  voices  from  the 
skies  and  received  inward  messages.  Father  Locke  had  read 
much  about  Mohammedanism  in  books  of  English  travelers 
to  Constantinople  and  Palestine.  Mohammed  to  him  was  a 
false  prophet,  and  one  whose  career  had  been  foretold  in  the 
Scriptures. 

Father  Locke  was  an  old  man.  He  went  singing  on  his 
way: 

"  There's  a  sound  gome;  forth  in  the  mulberry  tops." 

In  his  view  the  appearance  of  a  Mohammedan  in  the  Shen- 
andoah Valley  was  a  providential  event.  All  extraordi- 
nary things  that  happened  were  special  providences,  in  the 
view  of  these  forest  evangelists. 

As  he  approached  the  inn,  Selim  came  out  to  meet 
him  and  to  hold  his  horse.  The  old  man's  first  view  of 
Selim  caused  him  to  drop  his  rein  and  lift  his  hands.  Selim 
had  bound  a  cloth  about  his  head,  and  on  it  had  placed  a 


88  IN  THE  DAYS  OF  JEFFERSON 

small  silver  crescent.  The  good  old  man  knew  what  the 
crescent  implied. 

"  I  am  sent  to  this  benighted  soul  in  the  wilderness," 
said  the  old  man.  "  He  wears  the  sign  of  the  pagan  faith 
on  his  forehead.  Selirn,  who  art  thou?  Heaven  has  sent 
me  to  thee.     "Who  art  thou?" 

Selim's  patient  face  lighted,  and  he  answered  in  good 
English : 

"  Selim  is  a  pilgrim  for  the  truth.  He  follows  the 
winds  and  the  waves  and  the  ways  of  the  wilderness.  He 
is  a  traveler  over  the  world.  He  prays  and  is  tossed  about 
— he  is  being  led." 

"  I  knew  it,  I  knew  it!  "  said  the  old  man.  "  "What  is 
it  that  you  wear  on  your  turban,  Selim?" 

"  The  sign  of  the  faith." 

"  Xo,  no,"  said  the  old  man.  "  I  am  sent  to  teach 
you  the  true  faith." 

He  put  out  his  hand  and  touched  the  scar  on  Selim's 
face. 

"  How  came  it,  Selim?  " 

"  The  slave  driver  made  it,  he  that  drove  me  into  the 
wilderness.    All  things  are  good,  traveler.     God  save  you !  " 

"  You  were  a  Turkish  slave,  then?  " 

"  Xever,  never.  Selim  is  a  student.  Selim  is  of 
Algiers.  He  goes  to  Constantinople,  as  the  English  say,  to 
study  the  faith.  Selim  pray  to  know  the  true  faith.  He 
become  a  pilgrim  of  the  faith.  "Within  is  prayer,  without 
the  world.     The  answer  will  come.     Selim  follow  the  sun." 

"Was  Selim  crazy? 

The  old  man  sat  on  his  horse,  and  tried  to  reason  out 
the  strange  case.     His  instincts  told  him  that  the  wander- 


SELIM  MAKES  A   DISCLOSURE  g9 

ing  Mohammedan  was  telling  the  exact  truth.  He  bent 
forward  on  his  horse  and  stretched  out  his  hand. 

"Selim?" 

"  Selim  hear — he  speak  English,  now." 

"  He  is  learning  the  language  rapidly/'  said  the  tavern 
keeper.     "  Every  one  is  teaching  him." 

"  Selim,"  said  the  preacher,  "  how  did  you  come  to 
America?  " 

"  The  pirates  capture  Selim." 

Here  was  light  indeed.    The  case  was  becoming  clearer. 

He  saw  the  surprise  that  this  answer  had  given  and 
added : 

"  They  bring  Selim  to  New  Orleans  on  the  long  river, 
and  sell  him  to  the  French  for  a  slave." 

The  story  of  this  extraordinary  life  was  indeed  unfold- 
ing along  clear  lines. 

Then  the  old  preacher  asked: 

"  How  came  the  scar?  " 

"  Selim's  father  is  rich — a  lord.  Selim,  he  know  not 
how  to  be  a  slave.  The  slave  master  set  him  to  work. 
Selim  know  not  how.  The  slave  master  strike  him  down. 
Selim  flee  into  the  wilderness.  He  follow  the  red  man. 
He  follow  the  canoe.     The  Indians  pity  Selim." 

"Was  there  ever  such  a  providence?"  asked  the  old 
preacher.  "  I  see  it  all  as  in  a  vision.  Selim  is  the  son 
of  a  noble  in  Algiers.  He  went  to  Turkey  to  study  re- 
ligion. He  wished  to  know  the  truth.  He  was  a  pilgrim 
for  the  truth.  In  his  journey  across  the  sea,  on  returning 
to  Algiers,  he  was  captured  by  pirates;  he  was  brought 
to  NeAv  Orleans  and  sold  as  a  slave.  His  master  struck 
him,  and  when  he  recovered  from  the  wound  he  fled  into 


90  IN   THE   DAYS   OF  JEFFERSON 

the  wilderness.  He  found  friends  among  the  Indians,  and 
followed  the  rivers.  They  directed  him  here.  He  has 
been  guided." 

'"  Selim  is  being  led/'  said  "  the  wanderer  over  the 
world.'' 

The  old  man  dismounted  and  went  into  the  inn.  He 
remained  there  several  days,  endeavoring  to  instruct  Selim 
in  the  Bible.  But  he  failed  to  make  much  progress.  The 
Mohammedan  would  answer  his  questions  with  the  strange 
words : 

"  Selim  has  no  vision.     God  save  ye!  " 

He  said  the  latter  words  to  all  who  tried  to  befriend 
him.  He  had  brought  these  words,  it  would  seem,  out  of 
the  wilderness. 

Father  Locke  came  away  somewhat  disheartened,  but  he 
had  secured  the  outlines  of  the  wanderer's  history,  and  he  be- 
lieved that  some  remarkable  events  would  follow  his  mission. 

Remarkable  events  did  follow — remarkable  in  the  view 
of  the  people  of  the  valley. 

The  story  which  I  am  relating  is  but  fact  in  picture, 
and  I  must  follow  the  outline  of  them  closely.  A  strange 
dream  came  to  Selim  one  night,  and  the  result  of  it  filled 
all  Virginia  with  wonder.  Of  this  we  will  speak  in  another 
chapter. 

Ontasette  and  Selim  offered  remarkable  suggestions  to 
the  plastic  lives  of  the  two  fast  friends,  Thomas  Jefferson  and 
Dabney  Carr.    Suggestions  not  only  direct  ways  I  they  mold. 

Another  suggestion  offered  suddenly  startled  the  two 
friends  by  its  peculiar  circumstances — one  out  of  which  great 
events  were  to  arise,  though  they  could  hardly  have  foreseen 
them. 


SELIM  MAKES  A   DISCLOSURE  91 

The  two  friends  were  sitting  under  the  great  oak  of 
Monticello  one  day,  and  their  horses  were  grazing  in  a 
forest  meadow,  when  they  heard  a  sound  of  cantering  hoofs, 
and  started  up.  A  rider  and  horse  appeared.  The  rider  was 
an  old  man.  He  was  one  of  the  "  Sir  Knights  of  the  Golden 
Horseshoe,"  the  errant  knight  of  whom  we  have  told  you, 
he  who  rode  with  a  mission. 

"  So  you  find  a  place  of  study  here,"  said  the  knight, 
sitting  on  his  horse,  "  and  you  have  here  pure  air,  a  clear 
sun,  and  a  fine  prospect.  There  is  the  Eivanna,"  said  he, 
pointing  down,  "  and  there,  Charlottesville."  He  wheeled 
his  horse,  looked  toward  the  smoky  summits  of  the  Blue 
Kidge,  and  said :  "  And  there  are  the  mountains  and  beyond. 

"  My  young  friends,"  he  continued,  "  have  you  ever 
thought  what  an  empire  lies  in  the  words  that  we  so  often 
hear,  '  beyond  the  mountains  '  ?  " 

He  took  from  his  wallet  a  golden  horseshoe  and  held 
it  up  to  the  sun.  He  sat  in  silence  for  a  time,  and  then 
said : 

*  The  Golden  Horseshoe  should  be  a  guide  and  prophecy 
to  the  statesmen  of  America.  Have  you  ever  thought  of 
that?" 

Jefferson  had. 

"  Young  men,  you  are  studying  law.  No  one  can  now 
tell  to  what  duties  you  may  be  called.  You  have  high  pur- 
poses— I  can  see  that.  Follow  the  Golden  Horseshoe.  It 
is  the  sign  of  God  to  America. 

"  The  whole  of  America  must  be  free, 
And  her  bounds  extend  from  sea  to  sea  ; 
And  safe  from  Europe  must  ever  be. 
Tis  so  we  cross  the  mountains." 


ES"  THE   DAYS  0¥  JKWKKSOU 

*'  I  have  much  thought  of  the  truth  you  have  just 
spoken,"  said  Dabney  Carr,  "  that  all  things  follow  sug- 
g  n.  Columbus  followed  the  suggestion  of  a  star: 
Luther,  the  suggestion  of  a  voice  which  he  thought  he 
heard  on  the  Pilate  Stairs;  Robinson,  of  Leyden,  fol. 
suggestion:  William  Penn.  Other  countries  have  fol. 
the  lead  of  heroes  of  conquests;  ours  has  followed  ideals — 
divine  ideals.  We  must  follow  the  ideals  of  equality,  jus- 
and  pea 

Dabney"  s  mind  was  in  its  element  now. 

"  Young  man/'   said   the  knight.    "  you   see    clear,    as 
Moses  did  on  the  Mount  of  Vision.     '  ^e-e  that  thou  makest 
all  things  after  the  pattern  shown  to  thee  on  the  mount.' 
You  see  clear;  you  would  give  to  every  man  his  birth- 
right.   That  I  would  do.     But  mark  you.  mark  you,  young 
law  student  Dabney  Carr — mark  you.   mark  you.   young 
law    student    Thomas    Jefferson — the    empire    heyond    the 
mountains  will  one  day  exceed  that  in  the  East:  Lor. - 
is  there;  the  valleys  of  the  rivers;  the  mountain  roa   - 
the  sky:  the  Pacific;  and  beyond  all,  China.  Japan,  and 
India- 
Governor  Spotswood  said  to  me:  '  I  give  you  the  sign 
of  the  Golden  Horseshoe.     It  means.  Explore  the  W 
He  was  right.     The  Y  est  c   lestinv.     Louisiana  is  destiny. 
Study  Louisiana.     The  hors-  is   a  sign. 

"  Thomas  Jefferson,  let  it  be  a  sign  unto  you.  If  you 
rise  among  mankind — and  you  will  rise — you  are  studying 
now  to  make  your  life  a  star.  If  you  ris  7  say,  in  the 
estimation  of  mankind,  follow  the  sign  of  the  Golden 
•^-shoe — explore  the  West  The  sun  rises  on  the  land 
of  opportunity:  it  sets  on  the  of  destiny.      Dabney 


rseshoe  gleamed  in  the  setting  <un. 


SELIM   MAKES  A  DISCLOSURE  93 

Carr,  you  have  the  vision  of  opportunity;  it  is  in  your 
heart  to  give  all  men  their  birthrights,  and  to  all  an  equal 
amount  of  labor  in  the  world,  and  to  him  who  toils  his 
due.  I  can  see  it;  you  will  have  influence  in  the  future. 
But  to  you,  Thomas  Jefferson,  there  may  come  hours  of 
power  as  well  as  of  influence.  If  there  do,  remember  the 
sign  of  the  Golden  Horseshoe. 

"  Do  you  read  Ossian?  I  do.  I  love  the  poems,  but 
they  are  the  dying  songs  of  a  barbarian  people.  They 
remind  me  of  the  tribes  dying  around  us.  It  is  that  that 
gives  it  the  charm — we  are  living  among  the  people  of 
the  graves,  among  the  Indians,  whom  I  believe  to  be  the 
dying  Tartar  race  in  America. 

"  They  are  a  brave  people,  but  they  have  followed  war 
and  cherished  the  spirit  of  revenge,  and  for  following  their 
baser  passions  they  are  about  to  die. 

"  He  who  shall  give  to  men  their  birthright  will  be 
great;  but  he  who  shall  explore  the  West  will  give  to  those 
who  gain  their  natural  rights  the  grandest  empire  of  the 
world. 

"  Suggestion,  suggestion — all  human  affairs  follow  sug- 
gestion. And  let  this  be  the  suggestion  to  you  two  young 
lawyers,  who  have  locked  arms  in  friendship." 

He  held  up  the  golden  horseshoe  again.  It  gleamed 
in  the  setting  sun.     He  suddenly  said: 

"  It  is  destiny — destiny !  " 

He  turned  to  Jefferson  and  said:  "Come  here,  young- 
man,  and  read  the  legend  on  the  horseshoe." 

On  the  horseshoe  was  inscribed  in  Latin:  Thus  ire  swear 
to  cross  the  mountains. 

"  Jefferson,  Carr,  I  am  a  kind  of  a  prophet — a  mountain 


94  IN  THE  DAYS  OF  JEFFERSON 

prophet.  A  new  movement  is  coming  into  the  world,  and 
I  shall  live  to  see  it,  although  I  am  an  old  man  now: 

"  The  whole  of  America  must  be  free, 
And  her  bounds  extend  from  sea  to  sea ; 
And  safe  from  Europe  must  ever  be. 
'Tis  so  we  cross  the  mountains. " 

That  is  the  way  I  see  the  future,  and  I  have  a  prophetic 
mind — second  sight. 

"  I  have  had  some  golden  horseshoes  made  with  the 
words  of  Governor  Spotswood  stamped  upon  them.  I  give 
them  to  those  who  I  see  in  my  mind  are  to  lead  the  future. 
I  am  going  to  give  you  one,  Dabney  Carr. 

"  There  are  other  mountains  than  those  that  rise  be- 
fore us — mountains  of  destiny.  Jefferson,  you  will  be 
called  to  cross  the  mountains." 

He  rode  away,  saying,  "  The  people  will  love  you,  and 
may  some  day  place  their  destinies  in  your  hands.  The 
Golden  Horseshoe  is  the  sign  for  America  to  follow.  It 
ought  to  be  the  motto  of  our  flag,  or  stamped  upon  our  arms. 
Rising  America  should  set  not  hawks,  or  snakes,  or  laurels 
on  her  banners,  but  the  Golden  Horseshoe !  " 

Selim  ? 

Louisiana  ? 

Ossian? 

The  Golden  Horseshoe? 

Were  they  suggestions  that  were  to  lead  to  wide  roads  in 
the  future? 

A  young  man  can  not  see  how  he  may  be  led  or 
where;  but  he  can  always  have  a  conscience  free,  and,  if 
he  can  not  see  the  way,  he  can  trust  his  Guide. 

"Will     the     Golden    Horseshoe     be     a    sign    to    Dab- 


SELIM   MAKES  A   DISCLOSURE  95 

ney  Carr,  or  will  he  pass  the  suggestion  and  the  way  to  an- 
other, and  he,  perhaps,  to  another?  A  good  suggestion  never 
fails.    The  star  may  be  obscured,  but  it  will  shine  again. 

He  was  a  very  old  man.  He  may  seem  to  be  a  strange 
character  now,  but  in  those  days  many  men  went  about 
prophesying  and  claiming  to  be  "  signs "  —  men  who 
thought  that  they  had  received  from  Heaven  some  special 
mission. 

The  Sir  Knight,  or  the  Sign,  meant  by  "  the  moun- 
tains," in  his  rude  poetry,  the  political  events  of  the 
future.  He  had  come  to  believe  that  America  would  be- 
come a  free  nation,  that  her  bounds  would  extend  from 
ocean  to  ocean,  and  that  she  would  declare  not  only  her 
independence  from  England,  but  from  Europe.  These 
were  daring  prophecies  then. 

Old  as  he  was,  he  dreamed  that  he  would  live  to  see 
them  come  to  pass. 

When  he  found  any  one  whom  he  thought  might  be- 
come a  leader  in  these  great  events,  he  gave  to  him  a 
golden  horseshoe.     His  eye  had  marked  Dabney  Carr. 

The  two  young  lawyers  lingered  long  under  the  still 
oak  in  the  shadow  of  twilight,  and  saw  the  Rivanna  fade 
into  the  deep  woods.  They  talked  of  Louisiana;  not  of  the 
narrow  State  on  the  Mississippi  now  called  Louisiana,  but 
of  the  great  unbounded  empire  of  the  rivers,  and  of  the 
South  and  Northwest.  What  was  there?  What  was  the 
future  ? 

"  How  great  would  be  the  influence  of  that  man  who 
should  secure  a  territory  like  that  to  the  Crown,"  said  Dab- 
ney Carr,  "  and  add  it  to  our  provinces !  His  soul  would 
live  forever  in  the  gratitude  of  mankind." 


CHAPTER  XV 


SELIM  S    REMARKABLE    DREAM 


It  would  not  accord  with  my  views  to  relate  a  tale 
of  superstition  in  a  young  people's  volume  unless  that 
record  was  historical  as  an  influence  and  necessary  to  in- 
terpretation. In  the  Treasure  Ship  a  picture  of  witchcraft 
was  essential  to  the  story,  for  it  formed  a  most  unfortunate 
part  of  the  lives  of  men  of  those  disturbed  New  Eng- 
land times.  The  history  of  Selim  turned  upon  a  dream, 
and  that  dream  was  once  one  of  the  haunting  fireside  stories 
of  the  valley  of  the  Shenandoah. 

Selim  was  indeed  a  pilgrim  for  the  truth.  His  whole  soul 
was  athirst  to  learn  the  truth  of  life.  For  this  purpose,  as 
we  have  shown,  he  had  gone  from  Algiers  to  Constanti- 
nople. His  soul  was  now  all  alive  to  the  new  religion 
which  he  found  in  the  wilderness.  Caring  neither  to  ac- 
cumulate wealth  nor  make  a  name,  it  is  not  strange  that 
his  waking  thoughts  should  have  turned  into  dreams  at 
night. 

There  used  to  be  great  religious  gatherings  under  the 
trees  in  the  valley.  The  Methodists  long  afterward  came 
to  call  such  gatherings  "  camp  meetings."  The  purpose 
of  these  meetings  was  to  gain  spiritual  light  and  power. 
The  Presbyterians  seem  to  have  held  such  meetings,  and 
96 


SELIM'S   REMARKABLE  DREAM  97 

these  were  the  early  days  of  the  pioneer  Baptists  in  Vir- 
ginia.    Selim  liked  to  attend  these  meetings. 

The  preachers  of  the  valley  all  desired  the  conversion 
of  Selim  to  the  Christian  faith.  It  might  well  be  ac- 
counted a  wonder  that  the  sign  of  the  crescent  had  ap- 
peared in  a  part  of  the  world  like  this,  and  the  good  peo- 
ple of  the  valley  wished  to  see  Selim  change  it  for  the 
cross. 

Every  one  now  believed  Selim  to  be  an  honest  man, 
but  many  thought  him  to  be  a  victim  of  disordered  fancy. 
Was  his  story  true?  He  told  his  dream,  which  was  that  he 
would  meet  one  who  would  lead  him  to  the  truth. 

To  Selim  the  great  world  was  a  house  of  God.  The 
sun  was  a  temple  of  light,  the  stars  were  the  lamps  of  im- 
mortal mansions,  and  divine  manifestations  appeared  in 
everything.  He  desired  to  sleep  out  of  doors  at  night.  It 
semed  to  him  irreverent  to  shut  out  all  the  glory  of  the 
sky  by  the  walls  of  a  room. 

He  learned  rapidly,  and  as  he  mastered  English,  he 
astonished  the  learned  people  by  being  able  to  speak  in 
some  four  or  five  languages,  all  of  which,  except  the  Greek, 
were  quite  unknown  to  the  educated  people  of  the  valley 
and  of  Virginia.  He  could  speak  the  Turkish  language  and 
imperfect  Spanish.  He  was  acquainted  with  Oriental  lit- 
erature and  with  the  Old  Testament  narratives  of  Abraham 
and  Solomon. 

Selim  made  long  journeys  on  foot.  The  people  bought 
a  horse  for  him. 

One  day  he  came  riding  into  Staunton,  where  he  saw 
a  crowd  of  people  gathered  around  a  venerable  man. 

He  stopped  his  horse,  and  looked  upon  the  old  man 


98  IN   THE   DAYS   OF  JEFFERSON 

with  wonder.  As  soon  as  he  could  do  so,  he  approached 
him. 

"  Friend,"  he  said,  "  I  have  seen  you  before." 

"  That  is  strange,"  said  the  old  man.  "  "Where  did  yon 
see  me!  " 

"  In  a  dream." 

"  That  sounds  remarkable.  AVhat  was  your  dream, 
Selim — for  that  is  your  name?  I  have  heard  of  you,  and 
have  wished  to  meet  you." 

"I  have  been  looking  for  you.  Hear  my  dream:  I 
dreamed  that  I  was  in  Algiers,  my  own  land.  In  the  far 
distance  was  a  great  and  noble  personage,  and  the  people, 
soldiers,  and  all  were  trying  to  go  to  him.  But  a  wide 
plain  lay  between  him  and  them.  They  went  forth,  but 
they  lost  their  way;  the  sands  swallowed  them  up.  Then 
a  gray-haired  man  came  to  the  people  who  wished  to  cross 
the  plain  and  preached  to  them.  He  told  them  that  he 
would  guide  them  safely  to  the  Great  Being.  That  man 
was  yourself.     I  want  you  to  show  Selim  the  way." 

The  clergyman  was  Eev.  Mr.  Craig,  a  Presbyterian 
minister.  He  was  greatly  surprised  at  what  Selim  had 
said,  and  he  took  the  wanderer  home  with  him. 

"  I  will  instruct  you  out  of  the  Bible/'   he  said. 

"  AVe  will  study  it  together  in  Greek,"  said  Selim. 

The  clergyman  showed  Selim  that  Christ  was  the 
Great  Being  whom  the  wayfarer  had  long  been  seeking. 
He  led  him  into  the  Church,  after  which  Selim  began  to 
desire  to  return  to  Algiers  that  he  might  preach  Christ,  and 
lead  his  kindred  to  the  Great  Being.  These  strange  events 
are  true. 

"  Let  me  go  to  Algiers,"  was  his  appeal  to  all.     "  I  have 


SELIM'S  REMARKABLE   DREAM  99 

found  the  way  to  the  Great  Being;  I  must  be  a  sign  to  my 
own  people!  " 

Whenever  he  met  a  stranger  now,  he  would  say, 
"  God  save  ye !  "  with  a  new  meaning. 

This  poor  brain-injured  man  was  indeed  to  become  a 
sign  to  the  people.  His  heart  turned  back  to  Algiers,  but 
it  would  be  here,  in  the  Virginia  wilderness,  that  he  would 
ultimately  teach  men,  by  his  example,  how  great  are  the  pos- 
sibilities of  the  soul,  and  among  the  men  before  whom  he 
would  often  pass  would  be  Thomas  Jefferson. 


I  IIAPTER  XVI 

AX  UNACCOUNTABLE  LAD PATRICK  HENRY 

Thomas  Jefferson  made  another  friend  in  his  student 
days  quite  unlike  the  amiable  Dabney  Carr  or  the  gentle- 
manly and  scholarly  George  Wythe.  He  was  one  of  the 
oddest  and  most  curious  lads  who  ever  lived.  He  was  always 
going  hunting,  yet  he  does  not  seem  to  have  hunted  any- 
thing. He  was  held  to  he  the  laziest  boy  "  in  all  the 
country  round  n  ;  yet  his  mind  wa>  never  indolent — it  was 
always  going  like  a  mill  wheel  waiting  to  grind.  Rossini 
was  regarded  as  the  most  indolent  composer  in  Europe, 
yet  he  produced  forty  oratorios,  operas,  and  great  musical 
works  before  he  was  forty.  Thomas  Jefferson's  new  friend 
was  Patrick  Henry. 

His  teachers  despaired  of  him.  and  thought  he  was  to 

me  a  burden  on  the  world.  Walt*-.  S  '-  schoolmaster 
said  to  the  future  |  et,  "  Dunce  you  are,  and  dunce  you  will 
ever  remain."' 

There  is  a  certain  class  of  minds  that  are  more  active 
than  others  and  yet  seem  to  be  doing  nothing.  Patrick 
Henry  belonged  to  the  order  of  intellects  that  make  bus- 
tling people  impatient  at  their  patience.  He  failed  in 
nearly  everything  that  he  attempted  to  do,  and  yet  the 
main  current  of  his  life  was  flowing  on.  He  married  when 
100 


AN  UNACCOUNTABLE  LAD— PATRICK  HENRY        101 

very  young,  but  was  unable  at  the  time  to  support  his  family. 
He  tried  farming,  and  failed;  store  keeping  and  tavern 
keeping,  and  failed.  Though  he  could  provide  but  scanty 
food  for  his  family,  yet  his  family  loved  him;  they  would 
defend  a  heart  like  his  even  though  they  went  hungry. 

Above  all  recreations  he  loved  to  go  into  the  woods 
and  fields  to  lie  down  and  dream.  As  a  boy  he  was  as  un- 
accountable as  Dabney  Carr.  There  were  strange  boys 
in  the  Virginia  wilderness  then. 

Patrick  Henry  in  the  woods! 

There  the  brooks  ran  for  him,  the  birds  sang  to  him, 
the  winds  fanned  him.  He  did  not  know  how  to  run  a 
farm,  a  shop,  or  an  inn,  or  even  how  to  provide  for  his 
family,  but  he  was  a  political  genius  and  all  the  best  hopes 
of  mankind  were  clear  to  him. 

He,  like  amiable  Dabney  Carr,  believed  in  the  equal 
rights  .if  all  men;  he  saw  equality  like  one  in  a  dream.  He 
did  not  argue  with  himself.  He  studied  all  alone  under  the 
trees  how  he  might  argue  with  others  who  could  not  see. 
He  who  sees  has  no  need  to  argue.  Prophets  do  not 
argue;  they  command.  Everybody  laughed  at  him.  It 
is  sometimes  boys  who  are  laughed  at,  who  fulfil  their  mis- 
sion, and  live. 

When  the  Stamp  Act  was  enacted  others  thought  of 
securing  a  redress  of  their  grievances.  They  felt  that 
taxation  without  representation  was  tyranny,  but  the  word 
"  independence  "  had  no  meaning. 

Not  so  with  this  strange  young  man  of  the  woods, 
whose  electric  brain  made  his  hands  hang  idle,  who  seemed 
as  stupid  as  his  gun  was  silent  and  fishing  rod  forgotten  in 
his  hands. 


102  EN  THE  DAYS  °F  JEFFERSON 

The  faculty  of  certain  minds  that  see  beyond  the 
capacity  of  other-  is  sometimes  called  j 

Let  me  quote  for  you  a  story  of  this  faculty  as  it 
existed  in  the  daydreamer  Patrick  Henry,  as  related  by 
William  Wirt,  his  biographer,  whose  Life  of  Patrick 
Henry  is  a  work  of  real  geniu-.  not  a  script: 

••  A  striking  proof  of  this  prescience  is  given  in  an 
anecdote  communicated  to  me  by  Mr.  Pope. 

"These  are  his  words:  'I  am  informed  by  Colonel 
John  Overton  that  before  one  drop  of  blood  was  shed  in 
our  contest  with  Great  Britain  he  was  at  Colonel  Samuel 
Overton's,  in  company  with  Mr.  Henry.  Colonel  Morris, 
John  Hawkins,  and  Colonel  Samuel  Overton,  when  the 
lar-t-mentioned  gentleman  asked  Mr.  Henry  whether  he 
suppose'!  Great  Britain  would  drive  her  colonies  to  ex- 
tremities. And  if  she  should,  what  he  thought  would  be 
the  issue  of  the  war. 

"  '  Mr.  Henry,  after  looking  round  to  see  who  were 
present,  expre— ed  himself  confidentially  to  the  company 
in  the  following  manner:  "She  rrill  drive  us  to  extremi- 
tiea — no  accommodation  will  take  place— hostilities  will 
soon  commence,  and  a  desperate  and  bloody  touch  it 
will  be." 

But."  -aid  Colonel  Samuel  Overton,  "  do  you  think. 

Mr.  Henry,  that  an  infant  nation  as  we  are.  without  dis- 
cipline, arms,  ammunition,  ships  r.f  war.  or  money  to  pro- 
cure them — do  you  think  it  possible,  thus  eireumstanr-ed. 
to  oppose  successfully  the  fleets  and  armies  of  Great  Brit- 


am: 


eccuj  ^n  ^e  canf]i0'  yvith  yon,"  replied  Mr.  Henry.     "  I 
doubt  whether  we  shall  be  able,   alone,   to  cope  with   so 


AN  UNACCOUNTABLE  LAD— PATRICK   HENRY        103 

powerful  a  nation.  But,"  lie  continued  (rising  from  his 
chair  with  great  animation),  "where  is  France?  where 
is  Spain!1  where  is  Holland? — the  natural  enemies  of 
Great  Britain.  Where  will  they  be  all  this  while?  Do 
you  suppose  they  will  stand  by,  idle  and  indifferent  spec- 
tators to  the  contest  \  AY  ill  Louis  XVI  be  asleep  all  this 
time?  Believe  me,  no!  When  Louis  XVI  shall  be  satis- 
fied, by  our  serious  opposition  and  our  declaration  of  In- 
dependence, that  all  prospect  of  reconciliation  is  gone, 
then,  and  not  till  then,  will  he  furnish  us  with  arms,  am- 
munition, and  clothing,  and  not  with  these  only,  but  he 
will  send  his  fleets  and  armies  to  fight  our  battles  for  us; 
he  will  form,  with  us,  a  treaty,  offensive  and  defensive, 
against  our  unnatural  mother.  Spain  and  Holland  will 
join  the  confederation.  Our  independence  will  be  estab- 
lished, and  we  shall  take  our  stand  among  the  nations  of 
the  earth!  " 

"  '  Here  he  ceased ;  and  Colonel  John  Overton  says 
he  shall  never  forget  the  voice  and  prophetic  manner  with 
which  these  predictions  were  uttered,  and  which  have  been 
since  so  literally  verified.  Colonel  Overton  says,  at  the 
word  independence  the  company  appeared  to  be  startled, 
for  they  had  never  heard  anything  of  the  kind  before  even 
suggested.'  " 

This  story  will  clearly  show  the  reader  what  was  the 
order  of  young  Patrick  Henry's  mind.  He  did  not  study 
books  as  he  should  have  done  in  his  youth.  He  regretted 
this  afterward,  for,  had  he  done  so,  it  would  probably  have 
made  him  a  more  powerful  man  later  in  life,  and  brought 
him  to  the  front  of  the  nation.  His  yielding  to  a  certain 
indolence  when  young  kept  him  provincial,  and  made  him 


104  IN  THE  DAYS  OF  JEFFERSON 

a  Virginian  rather  than  a  national  character.  People 
reap  not  only  the  kind  of  seed  that  tL  -  .  but  the 
amount  that  they  sow.  He  used  to  say,  "  Xateral  parts 
was  worth  all  the  larning  on  the  yearth  "  :  thai  other  men 
studied  books,  but  that  he  studied  folks  and  Xature.  1 
it  is  men  who  have  been  gifted  with  "  nateral  parts  "  who, 
like  Lincoln,  also  study  books,  as  Lincoln  did  law  books  in 
the  woods  who  become  the  leaders  of  the  beneficent  move- 
ments of  mankind.  Patrick  Henry  saw  all  of  this  in  his 
circumscribed    old    age.      "  Knowledg       -  - 

Franklindike  motto  that  he  came  to  feel  when  he  had  to 
return  to  the  practice  of  the  law  at  the  time  his  hair  was 
turning  gray. 

There  was  one  boot  that  he  read.  He  found  himself. 
as  he  thought,  in  it:  it  held  him.  enchanted  him.  I:  was 
Livy.  Here  he  saw  the  beginning  of  the  Roman  re- 
public and  its  growth,  and  the  -  -  of  the  lives  : 
those  who  practiced  R<:onan  virtues,  when  judges  con- 
demned their  own  sons  for  crimes  as  they  would  have  done 
the  sons  <:»f  others.     In  this  and  in  like  I         -  saw  the 

glory  of  Servius  Tullius.  of  the  Gracchi  and 
he  returned  with  Cincinnatus  to  the  plow:  and  his  imagina- 
tion rose  to  see  what  America  m:_  I  me  as  a  republic- 
like  Rome  in  her  moral  glory.  He  did  not  read  the  Bible 
much  in  his  young  days,  but  he  did  s  -  _  .  when 
life  had  taught  him  a  larger  wisdom,  and  he  t:  saw  what 
he  had  missed  in  his  too  mo  -  f-guided  youth.  "The 
Bible."  he  came  to  say.  "  is  the  gres  test  >k  in  all  the 
world." 

"Williamsburg,  as  we  have  shown,  was  the  -  Fa  pro- 

vincial aristocracy — the  s<x-iety  there  was  gay  and  frivolous 


AN  UNACCOUNTABLE  LAD— PATRICK  HENRY        105 

— like  that  of  the  English  cavaliers.  We  have  told  you  that 
there  was  a  period  of  young  Jefferson's  life  when  the  high- 
born student  was  influenced  by  the  gay  circles  of  the  pro- 
vincial capital.  But  it  was  a  temporary  influence.  He 
saw  life,  after  a  little  time,  as  the  glory  of  a  common 
farmer  of  Roman  virtues,  as  had  been  taught  him  by 
Dabney  Carr,  and  as  would  be  taught  him  by  the  rude 
poet  of  the  woods,  Patrick  Henry.  The  latter  was  to  in- 
fluence him  now. 

Mr.  Jefferson  describes  in  suggestive  words  his  first 
meeting  with  Patrick  Henry,  who  was  to  become  the  fiery 
and  prophetic  tongue  of  the  Revolution,  as  he  himself  was 
to  be  the  pen.     Mr.  Jefferson  says: 

"  My  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Henry  commenced  in  the 
winter  of  l759-'60.  On  my  way  to  the  college  I  passed 
my  Christmas  holidays  at  Colonel  Dandridge's,  in  Han- 
over, to  whom  Mr.  Henry  was  a  near  neighbor.  During 
the  festivity  of  the  season  I  met  him  in  society  every  day, 
and  we  became  well  acquainted,  although  I  was  much  his 
junior,  being  then  in  my  seventeenth  year,  and  he  a  mar- 
ried man.  His  manners  had  something  of  coarseness  in 
them;  his  passion  was  music,  dancing,  and  pleasantry.  He 
excelled  in  the  last,  and  it  attached  every  one  to  him. 
You  ask  some  account  of  his  mind  and  information  at  this 
period,  but  you  will  recollect  that  we  were  almost  con- 
tinually engaged  in  the  usual  revelries  of  the  season.  The 
occasion,  perhaps,  as  much  as  his  idle  disposition,  prevented 
his  engaging  in  any  conversation  which  might  give  the 
measure  either  of  his  mind  or  information.  Opportunity 
was  not,  indeed,  wholly  wanting,  because  Mr.  John  Camp- 
bell was  there,  who  had  married  Mrs.  Spotswood,  the  sister 


106  I^T   THE   DAYS   OF  JEFFERSON 

of  Colonel  Dandridge.  He  was  a  man  of  science,  and 
often  introduced  conversation  on  scientific  subjects.  Air. 
Henry  had,  a  little  before,  broken  up  bis  store,  or  rather  it 
had  broken  him  up;  but  his  misfortunes  were  not  to  be 
traced  either  in  his  countenance  or  conduct." 

The  reader  may  perhaps  ask,  Why  did  Patrick  Henry 
fail  in  storekeeping?  A  single  anecdote  will  answer  the 
question  and  questions  like  them. 

"  He  could  not  find  it  in  his  heart,"  he  said,  "  to  dis- 
appoint any  who  came  to  him  for  credit." 

He  chose  law  for  a  profession,  and  after  six  or  eight 
months'  study  applied  for  examination  for  admittance  to 
the  bar.  The  people  laughed,  as  did  some  of  the  exam- 
iners. His  examination  confounded  all  his  critics.  He 
had  dreamed  out  all  of  the  great  principles  of  law  in  the 
bushes — of  what  belonged  to  true  justice,  which  was  the 
conscience  of  all  law — and  the  mere  details  of  his  profession 
did  not  long  occupy  his  time. 

His  biographer  describes  how  one  of  his  examiners  ex- 
pressed his  astonishment  on  meeting  him  as  a  candidate 
for  the  bar. 

"  This  latter  person."  says  Wirt  in  his  thrilling  biog- 
raphy, "  was  no  other  than  Mr.  John  Randolph,  who  was 
afterward  the  King's  attorney-general  for  the  colony — a 
gentleman  of  the  most  courtly  elegance  of  person  and  man- 
ners, a  polished  wit,  and  a  profound  lawyer.  At  first  he 
was  so  much  shocked  by  Mr.  Henry's  very  ungainly  figure 
and  address  that  he  refused  to  examine  him;  understand- 
ing, however,  that  he  had  already  obtained  two  endorse- 
ments, he  entered,  with  manifest  reluctance,  on  the  business. 
A  very  short  time  was  sufficient  to  satisfv  him  of  the  errone- 


AN   UNACCOUNTABLE  LAD— PATRICK  HENRY        107 

ous  conclusion  which  he  had  drawn  from  the  exterior  of 
the  candidate.  With  evident  marks  of  increasing  surprise 
(produced,  no  doubt,  by  the  peculiar  texture  and  strength 
of  Mr.  Henry's  style  and  the  boldness  and  originality  of 
his  combinations)  he  continued  the  examination  for  several 
hours,  interrogating  the  candidate,  not  on  the  principles 
of  municipal  law,  in  which  he  no  doubt  soon  discovered 
his  deficiency,  but  on  the  laws  of  nature  and  of  nations, 
on  the  policy  of  the  feudal  system,  and  on  general  his- 
tory, which  last  he  found  to  be  his  stronghold.  During 
the  very  short  portion  of  the  examination  which  was  de- 
voted to  the  common  law,  Mr.  Randolph  dissented,  or 
aifected  to  dissent,  from  one  of  Mr.  Henry's  answers,  and 
called  upon  him  to  assign  the  reasons  for  his  opinion.  This 
produced  an  argument,  and  Mr.  Randolph  now  played 
off  on  him  the  same  arts  which  he  himself  had  so  often 
practiced  on  his  country  customers,  drawing  him  out  by 
questions,  endeavoring  to  puzzle  him  by  subtleties,  assail- 
ing him  with  declamation,  and  watching  continually  the 
defensive  operations  of  his  mind.  After  a  considerable 
discussion,  he  said,  'You  defend  your  opinions  well,  sir; 
but  now  to  the  law  and  to  the  testimony.'  Hereupon  he 
carried  him  to  his  office,  and,  opening  the  authorities,  said 
to  him,  '  Behold  the  force  of  natural  reason !  You  have 
never  seen  these  books  nor  this  principle  of  the  law,  yet 
you  are  right  and  I  am  wrong;  and  from  the  lesson  which 
you  have  given  me  (you  must  excuse  me  for  saying  it)  I 
will  never  trust  to  appearances  again.  Mr.  Henry,  if  your 
industry  be  only  half  equal  to  your  genius,  I  augur  that 
you  will  do  well,  and  become  an  ornament  and  an  honor 
to  your  profession.' 


10S  IN   THE   DAYS   OF   JEFFERSON 

"  It  was  always  Mr.  Henry's  belief  that  Mr.  Randolph 
had  affected  this  difference  of  opinion  merely  to  afford 
him  the  pleasure  of  a  triumph,  and  to  make  some  atone- 
ment for  the  wound  which  his  first  repulse  had  inflicted. 
Be  this  as  it  may,  the  interview  was  followed  by  the  most 
marked  and  permanent  respect  on  the  part  of  Air.  Ran- 
dolph, and  the  most  sincere  good  will  and  gratitude  on 
that  of  Mr.  Henry." 

Patrick  Henry's  method  of  study  is  not  to  be  com- 
mended. Insufficient  preparation  for  life  will  not  do.  It 
is  not  conscientious.  Who  may  say  that  had  Patrick  Henry 
added  to  his  "  nateral  parts  "  true  scholarship  he  would 
not  have  been  found  with  Washington,  Adams,  and  Jef- 
ferson in  the  line  of  American  Presidents?  He  came  to 
decline  public  offices  that  it  would  seem  he  should  have 
accepted.     He  should  have  had  life's  highest  aims. 

"  He  that  soweth  bountifully  shall  reap  also  bounti- 
fully," and  now  time  ever  demands  that  a  youth  shall  make 
the  largest  and  broadest  preparation  for  life.  The  ideal 
must  have  support  to  stand. 

The  Pilgrim  Fathers,  the  men  of  the  Revolution,  the 
planters  of  American  colonies  were,  as  a  rule,  scholars. 
They  knew  classic  history;  they  could  speak  the  tongues 
of  the  civilized  powers.  They  were  conscious  of  "  nateral 
parts,"  but  accepted  them  as  divine  gifts,  whose  purpose 
was  to  avow. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

A    MOST    NOTABLE    PAGE    OF    HISTORY THAT    STRANGE 

BOY    AGAIN 

The  year  1765  witnessed  a  thrilling  scene  in  the  old 
Virginian  House  of  Burgesses.  The  Stamp  Act  taxing 
America  had  been  enacted.  Patrick  Henry,  the  dreamer 
of  the  Roman  republic  in  the  woods,  had  been  elected  a 
member  to  the  aristocratic  House  and  came  to  the  capital 
with  the  clothing  of  the  woods  hanging  about  him.  He 
seemed  to  be  indifferent  as  to  what  he  wore  or  how  he 
looked.  He  was  dreaming  a  mighty  dream.  He  had  been 
elected  on  account  of  his  fiery  opposition  to  the  Stamp  Act, 
by  which  America  was  taxed  without  representation  in 
Parliament. 

He  rose  up  among  the  velveted  and  ruffled  burghers  one 
day,  and  offered  resolutions  in  which  was  a  thunderbolt. 

Jefferson  thus  describes  the  scene  of  Mr.  Henry's  reso- 
lutions against  the  Stamp  Act,  which  .is  one  of  the  great 
episodes  of  history: 

"  The  aristocracy  were  startled  at  such  a  phenomenon 
from  the  plebeian  ranks.  They  could  not  be  otherwise 
than  indignant  at  the  presumption  of  an  obscure  and  un- 
polished rustic,  who,  without  asking  the  support  or  counte- 
nance  of   anv  patron   among   themselves,    stood   upon   his 

109 


Hi  i  IX   THE   DAYS   OF    JEFFERSON 

own  ground,  and  bearded  them  even  in  their  den.  That 
this  rustic  should  have  been  able,  too,  by  his  single 
strength,  to  baffle  their  whole  phalanx  and  put  it  to  rout 
was  a  mortification  too  humiliating  to  be  easily  borne. 
They  affected  to  ridicule  his  vicious  and  depraved  pro- 
nunciation, the  homespun  coarseness  of  his  language,  and 
his  hypocritical  canting  in  relation  to  his  humility  and 
ignorance.  But  they  could  not  help  admiring  and  envy- 
ing his  wonderful  gifts;  that  thorough  knowledge  of  the 
human  heart  which  he  displayed;  that  power  of  throwing 
his  reasoning  into  short  and  clear  aphorisms,  which,  desul- 
tory as  they  were,  supplied  in  a  great  degree  the  place  of 
method  and  logic;  that  imagination  so  copious,  poetic,  and 
sublime;  the  irresistible  power  with  which  he  caused  every 
passion  to  rise  at  his  bidding;  and  all  the  rugged  might 
and  majesty  of  his  eloquence.  From  this  moment  he  had 
no  friends  on  the  aristocratic  side  of  the  House.  They 
looked  upon  him  with  envy  and  with  terror.  They  were 
forced  at  length  to  praise  his  genius,  but  that  praise  was 
wrung  from  them  with  painful  reluctance.  They  would 
have  denied  it  if  they  could.  They  would  have  over- 
shadowed it  by  magnifying  his  defects;  but  it  would  have 
been  as  easy  for  them  to  have  eclipsed  the  splendor  of  the 
sun  by  pointing  to  his  spots." 

Would  not  the  reader  like  to  see  Mr.  Henry's  own 
record  of  this  great  event  of  his  life — the  resolution 
against  the  Stamp  Act  \     We  quote  from  Wirt : 

"  After  his  death  there  was  found  among  his  papers 
one  sealed  and  thus  indorsed :  '  Inclosed  are  the  resolu- 
tions of  the  Virginia  Assembly  in  1705  concerning  the 
Stamp  Act.     Let  my  executors  open  this  paper.'     "Within 


A   MOST   NOTABLE  PAGE   OF  HISTORY 


111 


was  found  the  following  copy  of  the   resolutions,   in  Mr. 
Henry's  handwriting: 

"  '  Resolved,  That  the  first  adventurers  and  settlers  of 
this  his  Majesty's  colony  and  dominion  brought  with  them 
and  transmitted  to  their  posterity,  and  all  other  his  Maj- 
esty's subjects  since  inhabiting  in  this  his  Majesty's  said 
colony,  all  the  privileges,  franchises, 
and  immunities  that  have  at  any  time 
been  held,  enjoyed,  and  possessed  by 
the  people  of  Great  Britain. 

"  '  Resolved,  That  by  two  royal 
charters  granted  by  King  James  the 
First,  the  colonists  aforesaid  are  de- 
clared entitled  to  all  the  privileges, 
liberties,  and  immunities  of  denizens 
and  natural-born  subjects,  to  all  in- 
tents and  purposes  as  if  they  had  been 
abiding  and  born  within  the  realm  of 
England. 

'  '  Resolved,  That  the  taxation  of  the  people  by  them- 
selves, or  by  persons  chosen  by  themselves  to  represent 
them,  who  can  only  know  what  taxes  the  people  are  able 
to  bear  and  the  easiest  mode  of  raising  them,  and  are 
equally  affected  by  such  taxes  themselves,  is  the  distin- 
guishing characteristic  of  British  freedom,  and  without 
which  the  ancient  Constitution  can  not  subsist. 

; '  Resolved,  That  his  Majesty's  liege  people  of  this 
most  ancient  colony  have  uninterruptedly  enjoyed  the 
right  of  being  thus  governed  by  their  own  Assembly  in  the 
article  of  their  taxes  and  internal  police,  and  that  the  same 
hath  never  been  forfeited,  or  any  other  way  given  up,  but 


112  IN  THE   DAYS   OF   JEFFERSON 

bath  been  constantly  recognized  by  the  King  and  people  of 
Great  Britain. 

u  l  Resolved,  therefore,  That  the  General  Assembly  of 
this  colony  have  the  sole  right  and  power  to  lay  taxes  and 
impositions  upon  the  inhabitants  of  this  colony;  and  that 
every  attempt  to  vest  such  power  in  any  person  or  persons 
whatsoever,  other  than  the  General  Assembly  aforesaid, 
has  a  manifest  tendency  to  destroy  British  as  well  as 
American  freedom.' 

"  On  the  back  of  the  paper  containing  those  resolu- 
tions is  the  following  indorsement,  which  is  also  in  the 
handwriting  of  Mr.  Henry  himself:  '  The  within  resolu- 
tions passed  the  House  of  Burgesses  in  May.  1705.  They 
formed  the  first  opposition  to  the  Stamp  Act  and  the 
scheme  of  taxing  America  by  the  British  Parliament. 
All  the  colonies,  either  through  fear  or  want  of  oppor- 
tunity to  form  an  opposition,  or  from  influence  of  some 
kind  or  other,  had  remained  silent.  I  had  been  for  the 
first  time  elected  a  burgess  a  few  days  before,  was  young, 
inexperienced,  unacquainted  with  the  forms  of  the  House 
and  the  members  that  composed  it.  Finding  the  men  of 
weight  averse  to  opposition,  and  the  commencement  of 
the  tax  at  hand,  and  that  no  person  was  likely  to  step 
forth.  I  determined  to  venture,  and  alone,  unadvised  and 
unassisted,  on  a  blank  leaf  of  an  old  law  book,  wrote  the 
within.  Upon  offering  them  to  the  House  violent  debates 
ensued.  Many  threats  were  uttered,  and  much  abuse  cast 
upon  me.  by  the  party  for  submission.  After  a  long  and 
warm  conte-t,  the  resolutions  passed  by  a  very  small  ma- 
jority, perhaps  of  one  or  two  only.  The  alarm  spread 
throughout  America  with   astonishing  quickness,   and   the 


A   MOST  NOTABLE  PAGE   OF   HISTORY  113 

ministerial  party  were  overwhelmed.  The  great  point  of 
resistance  to  British  taxation  was  universally  established 
in  the  colonies.  This  brought  on  the  war,  which  finally 
separated  the  two  countries  and  gave  independence  to 
ours.  Whether  this  will  prove  a  blessing  or  a  curse  will 
depend  upon  the  use  our  people  make  of  the  blessings 
which  a  gracious  God  hath  bestowed  upon  us.  If  they  are 
wise,  they  will  be  great  and  happy.  If  they  are  of  a  con- 
trary character,  they  will  be  miserable.  Righteousness 
alone  can  exalt  them  as  a  nation. 

"'  Reader!  whoever  thou  art,  remember  this;  and 
in  thy  sphere  practice  virtue  thyself,  and  encourage  it 
in  others.  P.  Henry.'  " 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

PATRICK    HEXRY    STUDYING    ORATORY 

Wheh  young  Patrick  Henry  failed  in  farming  and 
began  a  new  life  as  a  storekeeper,  he  seems  to  have 
taken  less  interest  in  the  profits  of  his  store  than  in  the 
study  of  life  that  the  occupation  afforded  him. 

He  did  not  know  it,  but  he  was  practicing  to  be  an 
orator  from  the  early  time  that  he  used  to  dream  beside 
his  neglected  risking  rod  in  the  deep  woods. 

A  country  store  was  a  gathering  place  of  the  idle  and 
the  curious  in  old  Virginian  days.  The  poor  people  came 
there  to  barter  and  tarried  long.  The  trades  made  in  the 
old  stores  of  the  colonies  were  sometimes  curious.  A  man 
would  barter  an  egg  for  a  needle,  ask  to  "be  treated, 
and  then  demand  that  the  egg  be  dropped  into  the  toddy, 
and  if  it  were  found  that  the  egg  had  two  yolks  ask  for 
two  needles,  or  like  shrewd  transactions. 

Women  came  to  the  country  store  for  snuff  in  these 
days  as  well  as  men  for  tobacco. 

The  store  was  a  news  stand  then  as  now,  only  the  news 
was  communicated  by  words  and  not  by  print.  TVhen 
there  was  stirring  news  in  the  air  the  country  store  was 
crowded  with  people. 

The  loafers  sat  on  barrels  and  told  their  forest  tales. 
114 


PATRICK  HENRY  STUDYING  ORATORY  115 

Hunters  came  with  game,  and  knitters  with  hose  and 
woolen  goods  of  home  manufacture. 

The  tall,  lank  Patrick  Henry  delighted  in  these  cus- 
tomers, not  so  much  for  the  trade  that  they  brought  him 
as  for  what  he  found  out  about  their  natural  gifts  and 
mental  qualities. 

It  was  his  delight  to  surprise  them  and  awaken  their 
feelings — envy,  jealousy,  sympathy,  cupidity,  caution,  cre- 
dulity, faith,  hope,  fear — in  order  that  he  might  see  the 
expressions  on  their  faces  and  their  attitudes  under  all  the 
emotions  of  life.  Now  this  was  an  unconscious  study  of 
oratory,  a  Delsarte  school  before  Delsarte. 

It  was  a  November  day.  The  woods  were  red.  There 
had  been  a  windy  night  rain,  the  sun  was  breaking  through 
the  scudding  clouds,  and  the  damp  air  was  mild  and  serene. 
There  was  not  much  that  could  be  done  on  the  plantations 
in  November  after  the  showers.  So  people  came  riding 
up  to  the  store,  some  for  trade,  and  more  with  excuses 
of  trade  to  talk  about  the  progress  of  the  colony  and  family 
happenings.  Among  the  callers  was  the  Sir  Knight,  or 
the  Sign. 

Patrick  Henry  sat  upon  the  counter,  swinging  his  legs, 
and  seeing  that  he  had  what  his  nature  seemed  to  crave — 
an  audience  before  him.  This  was  no  money-making  day 
with  him;  he  saw  another  opportunity.  He  must  tell  a 
story  and  see  what  expressions  it  would  call  forth  in  the 
faces  and  attitudes  of  the  people. 

His  customers  were  bobbing  about,  talking  on  homely, 
simple  subjects. 

Suddenly  Patrick -gave  a  piercing  whistle. 

In  a  moment  all  heads  were  turned  toward  him,  and 


116  IX   THE  DAYS   OF   JEFFERSON 

eves  were  fastened  upon  him.  The  people's  faces  wore  an 
expression  of  inquiry,  but  each  one  in  a  different  manner. 

"  Rome  was  once  a  republic,"  he  said. 

He  paused.  He  early  learned  the  effects  of  a  pause. 
He  used  to  pause  in  the  great  speeches  of  his  after  life. 

There  was  a  dead  silence  in  the  store. 

"  An'  what  might  be  a  republic?  "  asked  an  old  hunter, 
at  last. 

Patrick  had  expected  the  question. 

"  A  republic  is  a  country  where  people  vote  for  the 
lawmakers  and  the  lawmakers  must  obey  their  own  laws, 
and  act  as  the  servants  and  not  as  the  masters  of  the 
people.     Can  you  see  that  with  your  inner  eyes?  " 

A  pause. 

There  was  a  shaking  of  heads.  Some  faces  lighted  up: 
others  were  averted  as  if  in  disgust 

"  If  there  were  no  English  Kings,  we  might  be  a 
republic." 

That  was  a  very  astounding  idea.  Several  men  stood 
with  half-open  mouths  that  expressed  surprise  without 
words. 

"Tell  us  about  that  republic.  Hear,  hear!"  said  a 
forester. 

"  Quicken  your  ears,  then.  In  the  times  of  that  old 
Roman  republic  there  lived  a  man  by  the  name  of  Lucius 
Quintius.  who  was  called  Cincinnatus.  He  was  a  man 
who  had  inner  sight,  and  he  taught  the  people  that  vir- 
tue was  strength,  and  he  sought  only  the  welfare  of  the 
people. 

"  One  day  he  was  plowing  his  farm,  which  consisted 
of  three  acres." 


PATRICK  HENRY  STUDYING   ORATORY  H7 

A  pause. 

"  It  couldn't  have  taken  him  a  very  long  while  to  have 
plowed  that  amount  of  land,"  said  one. 

"  He  was  stripped  for  his  work  on  that  day  and  may 
have  plowed  half  of  his  three  acres.  As  he  was  plodding 
along  a  horseman  appeared.  He  was  a  state  messenger 
from  Rome. 

"  '  I  come  from  the  senate,'  said  the  messenger.  '  Go 
dress  yourself  for  an  audience,  and  return  with  me  to  the 
senate  of  the  republic.  The  enemy  is  at  hand;  Rome  is 
in  peril;  the  senate  have  chosen  you  to  direct  the  affairs 
of  the  state.  They  have  done  it  because  they  regard  you 
as  the  most  virtuous  and  wise  of  all  the  free  citizens  of  the 
republic' 

"  He  put  off  his  plowing  clothes  and  was  led  to  the 
city.  His  coming  was  hailed  by  the  people  with  shouts. 
That  was  a  day  of  great  rejoicing. 

"  He  put  himself  at  the  head  of  the  army.  His  soul 
thrilled  the  army.  The  enemy  was  blockading  the  port, 
and  he  blockaded  the  enemy,  delivered  his  country,  and 
returned  to  Rome  in  triumph.  He  was  the  chosen  one  of 
all  the  people's  hearts.  He  might  have  made  himself  a 
king.     Did  he?" 

The  young  storekeeper  raised  his  hand  and  noted  the 
expressions  on  every  face. 

"Did  he?" 

Another  pause. 

"  Who  would  not  be  king  if  he  could?  "asked  one. 

"  Say  you  that?  No  patriot  would  be  king  when  all 
electors  should  be  king.  The  Roman  republic  was  not  the 
country  of  a  king,  but  of  kings;  all  the  Romans  who  voted 


118  IN  THE   DAYS   OF  JEFFERSON 

were  kings,  a  host  of  kings  in  one.  You  have  not  answered 
me.     What  did  the  plowman  do?  " 

"  He  sold  his  three  acres  and  his  oxen  and  his  plow/' 
said  another. 

"  No,  no " 

There  was  a  longer  pause. 

"  What  did  he,  now?  "  asked  a  rustic. 

"  He  returned  to  his  plow  handle  and  plowed  the  re- 
maining half  of  his  three  acres.  Any  man  of  honor  would 
have  done  that  in  order  to  retain  his  honor." 

"  An'  would  you  have  done  that,  Patrick  Henry?  " 

"  Any  Virginian  would.  Young  Washington  would. 
You  all  would.  Look  me  in  the  face  now — let  me  see 
your  souls.     Wouldn't  you?" 

"  If  we  had  a  republic,"  answered  one. 

There  went  up  a  shout. 

The  Sir  Knight,  or  the  Sign,  circled  around  the  bar- 
rels and  said: 

"  The  whole  of  America  must  be  free, 
Her  bounds  extend  from  sea  to  sea; 
And  safe  from  Europe  must  ever  be. 
'Tis  so  we  cross  the  mountains." 

Patrick  Henry  had  taken  a  lesson  in  oratory  that  day. 
He  did  so  day  after  day,  but  he  was  following  an  education 
that  came  out  of  himself  and  that  he  did  not  understand. 
He  was  preparing  to  be  the  thunderbolt  of  the  'coming 
Revolution,  but  he  did  not  know  it. 

He  met  from  time  to  time  four  young  men  who  had 
kindred  spirits.  Like  spirits  gravitate  toward  each  other. 
Those  four  young  men  were  George  Washington,  Thomas 
Jefferson,  Dabney  Carr,  and  Richard  Henry  Lee.    He  may 


PATRICK  HENRY  STUDYING   ORATORY  H9 

not  have  met  them  all  at  one  time,  but  they  all  gathered 
at  times  at  patriotic  taverns  on  the  ways  between  Williams- 
burg and  the  forest  towns. 

The  old  Knight  of  the  Horseshoe  turned  to  the  door 
and  looked  back. 

"  Henry,  I'm  going  to  bring  you  a  present  some  day. 
You  are  one  of  them." 

"  One  of  whom?  "  asked  the  merry  storekeeper. 

"  Of  the  elect." 

"  And  what  is  the  present  you  will  make  me?  " 

"  A  horseshoe.    You  will  cross  the  mountains." 

Henry  touched  his  forehead,  meaning  that  the  Sir 
Knight  was,  as  one  said,  "  a  little  off — not  all  there." 


CHAPTER  XIX 

DABNEY    TELLS    JEFFERSON    A    SECRET JEFFERSON    REVEALS 

HIS    OWN    HEART    TO    DABNEY 

Jefferson  had  a  very  beautiful  sister — Martha. 

The  friendship  of  Jefferson  for  Dabney  Carr  grew,  and 
one  day,  when  they  were  walking  together  through  the 
mountain  groves  of  Monticello,  Dabney  said  to  his  friend 
some  sacred  words: 

"  You  pledged  to  me  a  friendship  which  is  brother- 
hood, but  I  am  soon  to  become  your  brother  in  another  way." 

"  Martha?  "  asked  Jefferson.  "  My  sister  is  to  become 
your  wife?    That  makes  me  happy." 

"  I  love  her  for  her  own  sake,  for  your  sake,  for  my 

sake.     I  am  a  simple  man,  and  no  match  for  the  men  who 

are  rising  around  me.     But  my  heart  goes  out  to  her  as  to 

no  other,  and  she  has  found  something  in  me  to  love.     We 

wish  to  marry,  to  live  in  a  simple  way,  in  a  rustic  home, 

and  our  hearth  shall  be  yours  when  you  return  from  some 

career  of  greatness.     You  will  need  hearts  then.     Public 

life  is  heart  hungry.     Are  you  willing  that  Martha  and  I 

should  wed,   and  go  to  a  forest  farm  and  live  in  quiet? 

You  will  rise  in  influence  and  fame,  and  that  will  make  us 

content.     I  will  train  my  dogs  to  bark  a  welcome  to  you." 

"  Dabney,  it  is  all  as  I  would  have  it.     Of  all  men  in 
120 


DABNEY  TELLS  JEFFERSON  A  SECRET  121 

this  world  I  would  have  you  marry  Martha,  and  I  would 
have  her  marry  you,  of  all  men  in  the  world.  Your  family 
shall  be  as  my  own.  If  you  should  die  first,  your  children 
shall  be  my  children.  But,  my  sworn  friend,  hear  me. 
You  are  an  orator;  I  largely  owe  my  views  of  democracy 
to  you." 

"  No,  no;  to  your  own  great  nature." 

"  But  you  have  builded  me.  You  have  helped  me  to  see 
mankind  as  a  brotherhood. 

"  Richard  Henry  Lee  is  an  orator.  He  was  trained  in 
England,  and  he  has  formed  his  political  views  from  study- 
ing the  heroes  of  the  Roman  republic. 

"  Patrick  Henry  is  an  orator.  He  is  the  opposite  of 
Lee;  he  studies  Nature — life  rather  than  books.  But  you, 
too,  my  friend,  are  an  orator.  You  see  deeper  down  into 
life  than  either  of  them. 

"  You  go  to  a  simple  farm,  and  make  that  a  retreat 
for  me?     No,  no,  Dabney  Carr. 

"  You  would  train  your  dogs  to  bark  a  welcome  to 
me?    No,  no,  Dabney  Carr. 

'  You  would  surrender  everything  that  I  may  ad- 
vance. No,  no;  I  would  surrender  myself,  that  you  may 
advance.  You  are  a  natural  orator.  The  time  may  come 
for  me  to  write,  but  never  to  speak.  When  there  comes 
the  day  for  me  to  write  what  the  world  will  hear  I  will 
unfold  to  the  world  what  you  have  taught  me,  and  in  the 
course  of  human  events,  it  will  come." 

"  It  will  come,  Jefferson,  it  will  come.  The  Sermon 
on  the  Mount  will  rise  into  the  view  of  mankind  in  the 
words  '  that  all  are  created  equal,  and  that  governments 
exist  by  public  consent.'  " 


122  IN   THE   DAYS   OP  JEFFERSON 

"  Yes,  yes — by  consent,  Dabney  Carr.  By  the  consent 
of  the  governed,  and  those  who  seek  to  deprive  men  of 
their  inherent  and  unalienable  rights  shall  perish." 

"  Write  that  down,  friend  Thomas." 

"  When  the  day  comes  for  it  I  will  write  that  principle 
down." 

"  That  is  my  heart." 

"  And  I  will  never  forget  your  heart,  Dabney  Carr. 
When  these  colonies  disclose  their  purpose  to  govern  them- 
selves, on  that  day  I  will  utter  my  voice  through  my  pen, 
and  I  will  make  your  heart  the  heart  of  my  declaration." 

About  this  time,  or  a  little  later,  perhaps,  a  ship 
brought  over  the  sea  a  strange  book.  It  was  a  wonder 
then;  over  some  minds  it  seemed  to  cast  a  spell. 

It  was  the  book  that  the  Sir  Knight  had  named — 
Ossian. 

Jefferson  procured  a  copy  of  the  book,  and  few  men 
ever  fell  more  completely  under  its  enchantment. 

People  little  read  Ossian  now,  but  the  poems  attrib- 
uted to  this  warrior-poet  once  thrilled  certain  American 
minds.  The  author  of  the  poems,  or  the  translator  of  the 
fragments  of  ancient  Scottish  and  Irish  poems  out  of  which 
they  grew,  was  James  Macpherson,  a  Scottish  poet  and 
schoolmaster.  He  claimed  to  have  found  the  poems  amid 
the  rural  districts  of  Scotland,  and  to  have  translated  them. 
They  were  published  in  London  in  1762,  and  created  one 
of  the  literary  events  of  the  age,  at  a  time  when  Jefferson 
was  in  the  mood  to  feel  the  force  of  heroic  poetry. 

They  filled  England,  Scotland,  and  Ireland  with  wonder 
and  made  the  author  famous,  and  raised  a  controversy  in 
regard  to  their  genuineness  into  which  entered  the  greatest 


DABNEY  TELLS  JEFFERSON  A  SECRET  123 

minds  of  the  time.  Critics  were  led  to  believe  that  the 
Scottish  schoolmaster  composed  the  poems  himself  after  sug- 
gestions of  fragments  of  ancient  poems  found  among  the 
Scottish  Highlanders.  His  fame  procured  for  the  school- 
master a  seat  in  Parliament,  which  he  occupied  for  ten 
years,  and  caused  him  to  be  buried  in  Westminster  Abbey. 

The  first  success  of  the  publication  of  the  poems  of 
Ossian  was  so  wonderful  that  they  were  hailed  with  a 
wild  admiration  in  Europe  and  with  equal  wonder  in  parts 
of  America.  The  supposed  songs  of  the  warrior-poet  were 
translated  into  French,  Italian,  Danish,  and  Polish.  Dr. 
Johnson  maintained  that  the  poems  were  the  work  of  Mac- 
pherson  himself,  in  which  view  he  was  supported  by  David 
Hume.  The  subject  was  discussed  fiercely  for  a  half  cen- 
tury; but,  whatever  might  have  been  the  true  story  of  their 
origin  or  evolution,  they  were  poetry.  America  being  so 
largely  an  Indian  wilderness,  a  country  of  departing  chiefs, 
had  the  atmosphere  for  such  songs;  people  of  poetic  tastes 
yielded  to  their  influence  as  under  enchantment.  The 
young  Virginia  orators  probably  felt  their  force,  and 
learned  from  them  the  value  and  weight  of  words  and  how 
to  use  vigorous  phrases. 

Jefferson  carried  with  him  his  Ossian  and  his  violin. 
In  his  law  studies  with  Dabney  Carr  under  the  great  oak 
at  Monticello,  it  must  have  delighted  him  to  have  turned 
from  books  to  the  rapturous  bard  of  the  ancient  chiefs; 
for  example,  to  such  passages  as  this: 

"  I  sit  by  the  mossy  mountain ;  on  the  top  of  the  hill 
of  winds.  One  tree  is  rustling  above  me.  Dark  waves 
roll  over  the  heath.  The  lake  is  troubled  below.  The 
deer  descend  from  the  hill.    No  hunter  at  a  distance  is  seen. 


124  IX   THE  DAYS   OF   JEFFERSON 

It  is  midday;  but  all  is  silent.  Sad  are  my  thoughts 
alone." 

This  picture  of  the  ancient  bard,  if  such  he  was,  ap- 
plied to  Alonticello  almost  as  well  as  to  some  rugged  high- 
land retreat.  People  could  not  find  in  Ossian  now  what 
they  read  into  it  then. 

We  would  call  such  a  literary  event  to-day,  ';  a  craze." 
It  passed,  was  revived,  and  the  book  still  has  a  charm  for 
some  minds,  who  can  live  again  in  the  past  under  the  guid- 
ance of  one  possessed  of  a  vivid,  creative  imagination. 


CHAPTEK  XX 

A    HOLIDAY    NIGHT    AT    DABNEY    CAER's THE    HAPPY 

"  MAN    IN    THE    TUB  " 

We  have  pictured  a  rollicking  Christmas  night  at  the 
hospitable  mansion  on  the  road  to  Williamsburg  where 
quaint  Patrick  Henry  and  prim  Thomas  Jefferson  used 
their  kits  or  fiddles  as  accompaniments  to  odd  stories.  Let 
us  present  to  you  another  scene  of  a  somewhat  different 
character. 

Dabney  Carr,  with  whom  Jefferson  spent  as  much  time 
as  possible,  still  studying  law  on  a  rustic  seat  which  they 
had  made  under  the  great  oak  at  Monticello,  was  prepar- 
ing to  be  a  county  lawyer.  He  believed  in  the  example  of 
simple  living.  His  house  was  very  small,  of  few  rooms, 
and  it  was  overrun  with  children,  for  he  had  six.  Jeffer- 
son thus  describes  the  home  in  a  letter  to  his  college  friend 
Page:  "  This  friend  of  ours  lives  in  a  small  house,  with  a 
table  and  half  a  dozen  chairs,  but  he  is  the  happiest  man  in 
the  universe.  Every  incident  in  his  life  he  so  takes  as  to 
render  it  a  source  of  pleasure.  With  as  much  benevolence 
as  the  heart  of  a  man  will  hold,  but  with  an  utter  neglect 
of  the  costly  apparatus  of  life,  he  exhibits  to  the  world  a 
new  phenomenon  in  philosophy — the  Samian  sage  in  the 

tub  of  the  cynic." 

125 


126  IN   THE  DAYS  OP  JEFFERSON 

Dabney  Carr  and  Patrick  Henry  lived  for  life,  and 
not  for  effect.  Jsfferson,  as  we  have  said,  had  had 
a  brief  season  of  self-display,  but  his  heart  had  come 
back  from  it  all;  he  wished  to  be  regarded  as  a  simple 
farmer. 

It  is  true  that  he  owned  six  farms  and  scores  of  servants, 
that  he  had  fine  horses,  and  could  ride  in  a  chariot,  but 
his  heart  came  to  revolt  at  doing  anything  by  way  of  self- 
display  that  would  seem  to  place  him  above  other  worthy 
men. 

He  loved  the  little  cottage  of  Dabney  Carr.  He  de- 
lighted to  hear  Dabney  preach  and  teach  the  equality  of 
the  common  lot.  He  himself  had  come  to  look  upon  all 
mankind  as  one  family,  and  to  regard  him  as  the  best  man 
in  all  the  world  who  did  the  most  for  others. 

Dabney  with  his  wife  and  children  lived  in  the  county 
of  Louisa,  not  far  from  Shadwell,  the  Jefferson  estate. 

Dabney's  wife,  Jefferson's  sister,  loved  her  husband 
with  the  deepest  affection.  He  was  the  noblest,  truest,  ten- 
derest  being  on  earth  to  her.  It  seems  ideal  that  the  man 
for  whom  Jefferson  had  conceived  so  strong  and  controlling 
an  affection  should  have  married  his  sister. 

The  children  loved  their  father  with  a  like  affection. 
To  be  in  his  arms  was  happiness,  and  when  Jefferson  rode 
over  to  the  little  cottage  in  the  virgin  forest  and  lent  the 
still,  bowery  place  the  enchantment  of  the  violin,  the  joy 
of  the  whole  family  was  complete,  a  circle  of  love  and  per- 
fect happiness. 

He  is  coming  to-night  with  his  violin,  or  kit,  under  his 
arm.  He  is  riding  under  the  shadows  of  the  red  sunset 
trees.     Dabney  is  waiting  at  the  door  to  meet  him,  with  a 


A  HOLIDAY  NIGHT   AT   DABNEY  CARR'S  127 

child  in  each  arm.     Martha  Jefferson,  his  wife,  looks  over 
his  shoulder.     He  is  coming — he  appears. 

With  this  joyous  appearance  another  man  came  down 
the  glimmering  road  from  another  way.  It  was  Selim,  for 
the  scene  we  picture  took  place  before  he  went  away  to 
preach  to  his  own  people  beyond  the  sea. 

After  Jefferson,  rode  a  Dutch  or  Jewish  gardener,  com- 
ing over  to  hear  Jefferson  play  the  violin.  The  minuets 
that  Jefferson  played  recalled  old  home  scenes. 

The  few  chairs  in  Dabney  Carr's  little  cottage  could 
have  hardly  served  all  of  this  company.  But  there  were 
benches  there,  and  laps  for  the  children. 

The  one  little  table  may  have  caused  the  guests  to  have 
been  seated  close  together  during  the  simple  meal.  What 
did  it  matter?     Is  not  life  more  than  meat? 

The  Dutch  gardener  had  brought  Dabney  a  very 
curious  present.  He  put  it  up  on  the  clock  shelf,  out 
of  the  reach  of  the  children.  The  children  looked  at  it 
eagerly. 

"  What  is  it?  "  ventured  one  of  them,  shyly. 

"  My  little  frien'  shall  know  before  the  candle  goes 
out,"  said  the  Dutch  gardener.  "  I  make  no  Christmas 
presents  but  to  Dabney  Carr." 

"  What  makes  you  love  him  so?  "  asked  the  child. 

"  He  takes  me  into  the  world's  family,"  said  the  gar- 
dener. "  His  heart  takes  me  in,  too.  You  can  not  under- 
stand, my  little  frien'.  I  am  not  like  other  men;  the  world 
leaves  me  out  in  the  cold  and  storm." 

The  child  did  not  comprehend. 

"lama  Jew,"  he  added. 

But  Dabney's  child  had  not  been  taught  that  a  Jew  was 


128  IN   THE  DAYS  OF  JEFFERSON 

different  from  other  people — that  there  were  two  kinds  of 
people  in  the  world,  human  beings  and  Jews. 

He  clasped  Dabney's  child  to  his  heart. 

"  I  come  to  see  your  father  for  the  same  reason  Selim 
does.  He  is  an  Algerine.  He  was  a  Mohammedan.  But 
Dabney  here,  he  always  used  him  right  well.  There  are 
no  outcast  races  in  Dabney 's  heart." 

The  child  had  led  the  thought  for  the  evening.  It 
was  a  long  time  before  Jefferson  took  up  his  violin. 
He  found  a  child  in  his  arms;  looked  across  the  table, 
to  see  another  child  in  the  Jewish  Dutch  gardener's 
arms,  and  another  in  the  arms  of  the  Algerine.  The 
mother  held  an  infant.  Dabney  himself  took  up  an- 
other child,  and  presently  a  negro  stole  in,  bowing  and 
saying,  "  Manners,  sar,"  and  the  remaining  child  ran 
to  him. 

"  That's  right,"  said  he  to  the  child,  "  come  to  ole  Mose; 
he'll  always  put  his  protecting  arms  around  the  little  boy 
that  has  the  heart  of  his  father." 

"  You  do  not  turn  old  Mose  awav  on  holiday  nights," 
said  the  Algerine. 

"  No,  nor  any  night,"  said  Dabney.  "  All  nights  are 
Christmas  nights  to  me." 

They  sat  there  with  the  children  under  the  red  berries 
of  the  holly  and  white  berries  of  the  mistletoe. 

"  We  are  all  the  children  of  one  Father,"  said  Dabney. 
"  but  for  some  people  there  seem  to  be  but  little  room  in 
the  inn  of  life.     Let  us  have  some  stories." 

"  "We  have  no  natural  story-teller  here  to  tell  them," 
said  Jefferson,  "  and  no  Patrick  Henry  to  play  accompani- 
ments to  them  on  a  live  violin." 


A   HOLIDAY  NIGHT   AT   DABXEY  CARE'S  129 

"  Uncle  Jefferson,  you  will  play  to  the  stories,"  said 
little  Peter  Carr. 

"  I  do  not  feel  like  playing  rounds  and  glees  and 
minuets  now,"  said  Air.  Jefferson.  "  I  am  touched  at 
heart  by  this  little  company.  I  wish  that  all  the  world 
were  like  it.  Let  us  talk  of  Dabney's  theme  of  the  brother- 
hood of  all  men. — Alberti,  you  have  brought  a  curious 
box — what  did  you  say  it  was-  I  never  heard  the  name 
before.     Tell  us  a  story." 

And  Alberti  told  a  story  which  he  called  A  Box  of 
Xard. 

The  Jew  turned  to  Dabney. 

"  Would  you,  were  you  a  sovereign  of  a  state,  allow 
a  Jew  to  become  a  citizen  ?  " 

"  I  would."  He  clasped  his  own  child  closer  in  his  arms 
and  said:  "  If  I  were  a  sovereign  my  countrymen  should 
be  all  mankind." 

"  Would  you  allow  a  Mohammedan  to  become  a  citi- 
zen?" 

"  Certainly,  I  would." 

"  I  am  not  a  Mohammedan  now,"  said  Selim.  "  I  have 
a  new  light  in  my  heart.  I  do  not  know  that  I  would  allow 
a  Mohammedan  to  be  one  of  my  people  were  I  a  king." 

"What  would  Christ  himself  have  done?"  asked 
Dabney. 

"  <  Whatsoever  ye  would.'  " 

"  May  I  be  forgiven  if  T  have  spoken  evil  or  suggested 
it."  said  Selim.  "  I  have  been  driven  into  the  wilderness  for 
my  faith.  I  will  give  up  everything  for  my  hope — and  here 
I  stand  empty-handed.  Friends  may  own  me  not.  nor  rela- 
tives; my  own  doors  mav  close  against  me.     Mv  own  shores 


130  IN   THE   DAYS   OF   JEFFERSON 

may  go  back  from  me,  my  feet  become  worn  with  wander- 
ing. But  have  I  not  a  heart  like  yours,  have  I  not  suffered 
as  much  as  your  " 

He  rose  up,  the  child  in  his  arms. 

"  Brother  Jefferson,"  said  Dabney,  "  who  shall  say  that 
all  men  are  not  created  equal?  " 

Alberti  rose  and  turned  to  the  clock  shelf,  and  took 
down  his  present  to  Dabney.     He  opened  the  box  and  said: 

•"  The  box  shall  tell  its  own  story."  He  opened  the  box. 
Perfume  filled  the  little  room. 

It  was  spikenard. 

Hi  en  Jefferson  took  his  violin  and  played  glees  for  the 
children,  and  roamed  away  into  the  atmospheres  of  Don 
I  t;  vanni  and  the  old  Italian  musical  rornane 

The  old  negro.  Mose,  had  a  question  to  ask  when  the 
music  ceased. 

■'  Ole  Mose  has  one  thing  that  he  would  like  to  done 
ask.     May  ole  Mose  speaks" 

'"Have  your  say."  said  Dabney;  ""we  are  all  one 
family." 

"'  Well,  if  you  were  done  king,  with  a  gold  crown  on 
tout  head,  what  would  you  do  with  a  person  like  poor  ole 
black  Mose!1  I  mean  if  ole  Mose  was  young,  which  he 
will  never  be  again." 

"'  I  would  give  him  ten  guineas  and  make  him  free,  and 
open  the  school  doors  to  him." 

"'  Heaven  bless  your  na.ne  forever.  Dabney  Carr." 

"  And  what  would  you  do.  Massa  Jefferson!1  " 

"  I  would  give  to  all  created  beings  their  birthrights." 

"*  Even  the  little  mouse'  "  asked  the  child  in  his  arms. 

Martha  Carr  laid  down  the  infant  in  the  cradle  and 


A  HOLIDAY  NIGHT  AT  DABNEY  CARR'S  131 

put  a  Christmas  cake  on  the  table.  She  cut  it,  and  divided 
it  among  all — the  Jew,  the  Algerine,  and  the  negro  with 
the  rest. 

They  all  were  to  be  lodged  in  the  little  home,  but  Jef- 
ferson and  Dabney  and  his  guests  sat  up  late  and  talked 
long. 

"  If  the  Algerine  would  give  up  everything  in  life 
for  a  principle,"  said  Dabney,  "  what  might  not  any  man 
do?  We  must  have  a  new  school  of  political  opinions  to 
make  a  new  generation  of  men.  If  I  owned  the  world  I 
would  give  to  every  man  any  right  and  all  the  rights  that 
I  would  claim  for  myself.  The  Sermon  on  the  Mount  of 
Beatitudes  made  all  men  equal.  I  wish  that  there  were 
courts  on  earth  that  put  that  teaching  into  practice.  If  I 
die  and  you  live,  Thomas,  strike  out  for  the  equal  rights  of 
all  mankind." 

Jefferson  was  asked  to  relate  a  story,  but  he  was  no 
story-teller. 

"  I  will  read  you  one,"  he  said. 

He  took  from  his  pocket  his  favorite  Ossian.  Patrick 
Henry  carried  Livy  with  him,  we  may  suppose,  into  the 
tangled  woods.  Jefferson  took  Ossian  along  with  his  violin. 
The  book  had  the  same  charm  for  him  that  it  came  to  have 
for  Napoleon. 

He  rose  to  read.  His  serious  face  filled  the  room  with 
awe. 

"  I  will  read,"  he  said,  "  the  story  of  the  death  of  Car- 
thon." 

A  sound  was  heard  at  the  window.  A  face  was  pressed 
against  the  pane. 

"  It  is  only  the  Indian,"  said  one. 
10 


132  IN   THE   DAYS   OF  JEFFERSON 

What  Indian  \ 

There  used  to  visit  Peter  Jefferson's  home  at  Shadwell 
Indians  who  had  disputes  to  settle.  The  patriarch  of  the 
wilderness  would  hear  their  cases,  and  render  impartial 
judgment.  Young  Jefferson  had  learned  to  carry  a  friend- 
ly heart  toward  the  Indians,  whom  he  probably  thought 
were  descendants  of  the  great  Asiatic  races  of  old,  who 
journeyed  from  the  far  East  to  Tartary,  and  from  Tartary 
across  the  narrow  strait  that  then  divided  Asia  from 
America. 

There  were  Indians  who  followed  white  men  whom 
they  liked,  like  good  spirits.  They  would  appear  to  them 
in  unexpected  times  of  peril.  Such  men  as  Jefferson  and 
Dabney  Carr  were  likely  to  have  unseen  and  silent  fol- 
lowings. 

Such  an  Indian  follower  was  Ginseng,  or  Ginsing.  He 
was  a  gatherer  of  the  magic  herb  of  that  name  {Panax)  that 
was  thought  in  China  to  cure  all  diseases,  and  to  have  the 
gift  of  immortal  life.  Ginseng  would  sell  well  in  Boston, 
whence  it  was  shipped  to  China,  and  in  that  way  the  port 
of  Canton  was  opened  to  American  trade. 

Ginseng  had  heard  that  Peter  Jefferson  was  a  righteous 
judge  and  a  friend  of  the  "  lords  of  the  forest,"  and  he 
liked  to  visit  Shadwell,  and  when  Peter  Jefferson  was  no 
more  his  heart  turned  to  his  family. 

It  was  Ginseng  whose  face  was  pressed  against  the  pane. 

Jefferson  began  to  read  the  magic  Ossian: 

"  '  "  King  of  ATorven,"  Carthon  said,  "  I  fall  in  the  midst 
of  my  course.  A  foreign  tomb  receives,  in  youth,  the  last 
of  Reuthamir's  race.  Darkness  dwells  in  Balclutha:  the 
shadows  of  grief  in  Crathmo.     But  raise  my  remembrance 


A   HOLIDAY   NIGHT   AT   DABNEY  CARR'S  133 

on  the  banks  of  Lora,  where  my  fathers  dwelt.  Perhaps 
the  husband  of  Moina  will  mourn  over  his  fallen  Carthon." 
His  words  reached  the  heart  of  Clessammor:  he  fell,  in 
silence,  on  his  son.  The  host  stood  darkened  around:  no 
voice  is  on  the  plain.  Night  came,  the  moon,  from  the  east, 
looked  on  the  mournful  field:  but  still  they  stood,  like  a 
silent  grove  that  lifts  its  head  on  Gormal,  when  the  loud 
winds  are  laid,  and  dark  autumn  is  on  the  plain.' ' 

There  was  a  tap  on  the  door. 

"  I  must  hear,"  said  a  voice.  "  May  I  come  in?  I  am 
Ginseng." 

He  came  in,  and  fell  down  before  the  fire.  Jefferson 
continued  reading: 

"  '  Three  days  they  mourned  above  Carthon;  on  the 
fourth  his  father  died,'"  continued  Jefferson,  reading.  "'In 
the  narrow  plain  of  the  rock  they  lie;  a  dim  ghost  defends 
their  tomb.  There  lovely  Moina  is  often  seen;  when  the 
sunbeam  darts  on  the  rock,  and  all  around  is  dark.  There 
she  is  seen,  Malvina!  but  not  like  the  daughters  of  the 
hill.  Her  robes  are  from  the  stranger's  land;  and  she  is 
still  alone! 

"  '  Fingal  was  sad  for  Carthon ;  he  commanded  his  bards 
to  mark  the  day,  when  shadowy  autumn  returned.  And 
often  did  they  mark  the  day,  and  sing  the  hero's  praise.'  " 

Ginseng  listened  as  one  entranced.    Jefferson  continued : 

"  '  Who  comes  so  dark  from  ocean's  roar,  like  autumn's 
shadowy  cloud?  Death  is  trembling  in  his  hand!  His  eyes 
are  flames  of  fire!  Who  roars  along  dark  Lora's  heath? 
Who  but  Carthon,  king  of  swords!  The  people  fall!  See! 
how  he  strides,  like  the  sullen  ghost  of  Morven!  But  there 
he   lies   a   goodly   oak,    which    sudden    blasts    overturned! 


134  IN   THE   DAYS  OF  JEFFERSON 

When  shalt  thou  rise,  Balclutha's  joy?  When,  Carthon, 
shalt  thou  rise?  Who  comes  so  dark  from  ocean's  roar,  like 
autumn's  shadowy  cloud  ? ' 

"  Such  were  the  words  of  the  bards  in  the  day  of  their 
mourning.  '  Ossian  often  joined  their  voice,  and  added  to 
their  song.  My  soul  has  been  mournful  for  Carthon;  he 
fell  in  the  days  of  his  youth:  and  thou,  O  Clessammor! 
where  is  thy  dwelling  in  the  wind?  Has  the  youth  forgot 
his  wound?  Flies  he,  on  clouds,  with  thee?  I  feel  the 
sun,  O  Malvina!  leave  me  to  my  rest.  Perhaps  they  may 
come  to  my  dreams;  I  think  I  hear  a  feeble  voice!  The 
beam  of  heaven  delights  to  shine  on  the  grave  of  Carthon: 
I  feel  it  warm  around ! 

"  '  O  thou  that  rollest  above,  round  as  the  shield  of  my 
fathers!  Whence  are  thy  beams,  O  sun!  thy  everlasting 
light?  Thou  comest  forth,  in  thy  awful  beauty;  the  stars 
hide  themselves  in  the  sky:  the  moon,  cold  and  pale,  sinks 
in  the  western  wave.  But  thou  thyself  movest  alone:  who 
can  be  a  companion  of  thy  course!  The  oaks  of  the  moun- 
tains fall:  the  mountains  themselves  decay  with  years;  the 
ocean  shrinks  and  grows  again:  the  moon  herself  is  lost  in 
heaven;  but  thou  art  forever  the  same;  rejoicing  in  the 
brightness  of  thy  course.  When  the  world  is  dark  with  tem- 
pests ;  when  thunder  rolls,  and  lightning  flies ;  thou  lookest  in 
thy  beauty,  from  the  clouds,  and  laughest  at  the  storm.  But 
to  Ossian,  thou  lookest  in  vain;  for  he  beholds  thy  beam 
no  more;  whether  thy  yellow  hair  flows  on  the  eastern 
clouds,  or  thou  tremblest  at  the  gates  of  the  west.  But 
thou  art  perhaps,  like  me,  for  a  season,  thy  years  will  have 
an  end.  Thou  shalt  sleep  in  thy  clouds,  careless  of  the 
voice  of  the  morning.     Exult  thee,  O  sun!  in  the  strength 


A  HOLIDAY  NIGHT  AT  DABNEY  CARR'S  135 

of  thy  youth!  Age  is  dark  and  unlovely;  it  is  like  the  glim- 
mering light  of  the  moon,  when  it  shines  through  broken 
clouds,  and  the  mist  is  on  the  hills;  the  blast  of  north  is  on 
the  plain;  the  traveler  shrinks  in  the  midst  of  his  jour- 
ney.' " 

Ginseng  went  out  into  the  night,  and  uttered  a  wild 
cry  and  was  gone. 

"  My  heart,"  said  Dabney,  "  pities  the  Indian  race. 
The  Indian  felt  the  poem  as  much  as  we.  Let  me  call  him 
back." 

He  called,  but  the  Indian  did  not  reply. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

TWO    MORE    REMARKABLE    BOYS 

1.— THE  FATHER  OF  EQUITY  AND  HIS  YOUNG  LIFE 

The  colonies  were  preparing  for  defense.  Great  men 
would  be  needed  to  meet  new  events.  They  were  already 
born. 

Some  twelve  years  after  the  birth  of  Jefferson  there 
was  born  in  Fauquier  County,  Virginia  (1755),  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  characters  that  ever  lived.  He  had  the  gift 
of  seeing  justice — that  about  which  others  reasoned,  he  saw. 
He  was  the  son  of  Thomas  Marshall,  who  became  somewhat 
famous  in  the  Revolution,  and  was  the  eldest  of  fifteen  chil- 
dren. 

James  Monroe,  afterward  President  of  the  United 
States,  of  whom  we  are  to  speak,  was  one  of  his  school- 
mates. 

Lives,  as  we  have  said  and  repeated,  follow  suggestion, 
and  the  inspiring  influence  of  young  Marshall  seems  to 
have  been  the  character  of  his  father.  The  elder  Marshall 
was  a  man  of  integrity,  and  he  made  an  honored  name. 
This  was  the  boy's  pride. 

Judge    Story   once   said   of   John   Marshall,    after   the 
latter  became  a  great  judge :  "  He  never  named  his  father 
without  dwelling  upon  his  character." 
136 


TWO   MORE  REMARKABLE  BOYS  137 

John  Marshall  used  to  say:  "  My  father  was  abler  than 
any  of  his  sons.  To  him  I  owe  the  solid  foundation  of  all 
my  success  in  life." 

From  his  early  youth  to  old  age  his  heart  was  with  the 
people.  He  mingled  with  them  as  one  of  them.  There  was 
an  old  game  called  quoits.  It  consisted  of  making  a  bound- 
ary line,  from  which  a  circular  ring,  or  a  stone,  or  a  piece 
of  lead,  was  to  be  thrown  at  a  mark  or  some  fixed  object. 
The  player  who  hit  the  mark  the  most  times  was  the  win- 
ner of  the  game.  It  was  a  very  simple  game,  but  it  trained 
the  hand  and  the  eye,  and  oifered  good  exercise  in  the  field 
and  open  air. 

Young  Marshall  loved  this  simple  game,  and  he  played 
it  at  times  all  of  his  life. 

The  Southern  Literary  Messenger  of  February,  1836, 
recalls  that  when  this  man  had  become  one  of  the  greatest 
jurists  of  his  time  he  used  to  summon  his  old  friends,  or 
perhaps  their  children,  to  play  quoits. 

We  follow  the  Messenger  in  some  anecdotes  of  this 
man,  for  they  present  charming  pictures  of  Old  Virginia 
days  that  produced  great  men  and  great  events.  He  once 
returned  to  Virginia,  and  found  his  old  friends  playing 
quoits  with  flat  stones.  He  was  seen  to  emerge  from  a 
thicket  which  bordered  the  neighboring  brook  carrying  as 
large  a  pile  of  these  flat  stones  as  he  could  hold  between 
his  right  arm  and  chin.  He  stepped  briskly  up  to  the  com- 
pany and  threw  down  his  load  among  them,  exclaiming, 
"There!  here  are  quoits  enough  for  us  all!"  The  stranger's 
surprise  may  be  imagined,  says  the  narrator,  when  he 
found  that  this  plain  and  cheerful  old  man  was  the  chief 
justice  of  the  United  States. 


138  1^T  THE  DAYS  OF  JEFFERSON 

The  age  of  nineteen  found  him  a  law  student.  He 
left  his  studies  for  the  military  service  under  his  father. 
In  this  work  he  began  to  make  his  first  speeches,  and  these 
grew  out  of  the  inspiration  of  the  service. 

In  May,  1775,  when  he  was  a  youth  of  nineteen,  there 
was  a  muster  field  some  twenty  miles  distant  from  the 
courthouse,  and  in  a  section  of  the  country  peopled  by 
tillers  of  the  earth.  "  Rumors  of  the  occurrences  near  Bos- 
ton," says  an  old  narrator,  "  had  circulated  with  the  effect 
of  alarm  and  agitation,  but  without  the  means  of  ascertain- 
ing the  truth,  for  not  a  newspaper  was  printed  nearer  than 
Williamsburg,  nor  was  one  taken  within  the  bounds  of 
the  militia  company,  though  large.  The  captain  had  called 
the  company  together  and  was  expected  to  attend,  but  did 
not.  John  Marshall  had  been  appointed  lieutenant  to  it. 
His  father  had  formerly  commanded  it.  Soon  after  Lieu- 
tenant Marshall's  appearance  on  the  ground  those  who 
knew  him  clustered  about  him  to  greet  him,  others  from 
curiosity  and  to  hear  the  news. 

"  He  proceeded  to  inform  the  company  that  the  captain 
would  not  be  there,  and  that  he  had  been  appointed  lieu- 
tenant instead  of  a  better;  that  he  had  come  to  meet  them 
as  fellow-soldiers,  who  were  likely  to  be  called  on  to  defend 
their  country,  and  their  own  rights  and  liberties,  invaded 
by  the  British;  that  there  had  been  a  battle  at  Lexington, 
in  Massachusetts,  between  the  British  and  Americans,  in 
which  the  Americans  were  victorious,  but  that  more  fight- 
ing was  expected;  that  soldiers  were  called  for,  and  that 
it  was  time  to  brighten  their  firearms  and  learn  to  use 
them  in  the  field;  and  that  if  they  should  fall  into  a  single 
line,  he  would  show  them  the  new  manual  exercise,  for 


TWO   MORE  REMARKABLE  BOYS  139 

which  purpose  he  had  brought  his  gun,  bringing  it  up  to 
his  shoulder.  The  sergeants  put  the  men  in  line,  and 
their  fugleman  presented  himself  in  front  to  the  right." 
He  organized  the  company  as  a  fellow-soldier. 

"  He  was  one  of  that  body  of  men,"  says  one,  "  never 
surpassed  in  the  history  of  the  world,  who,  unpaid,  un- 
clothed, unfed,  tracked  the  snows  of  Valley  Forge  with 
the  blood  of  their  footsteps  in  the  rigorous  winter  of  1778, 
and  yet  turned  not  their  faces  from  their  country  in  resent- 
ment or  from  their  enemies  in  fear. 

"  In  this  service  of  hardship  he  began  to  act  as  judge 
in  military  cases,  under  the  eye  of  Washington.  He  sought 
for  justice  for  its  own  sake,  and  he  loved  mercy  as  much 
as  he  sought  justice.  He  would  never  have  dreamed  of 
undertaking  an  unworthy  case  for  money.  He  was  incor- 
ruptible from  youth  to  age." 

At  the  age  of  twenty-seven  he  entered  the  Virginia 
Assembly  and  began  public  life  as  the  defender  of  the 
Federal  Constitution.  He  put  his  conscience  into  every- 
thing that  he  did.  He  declined  high  offices  under  the  Gov- 
ernment that  he  might  be  free  to  act  where  he  was  most 
needed,  for  the  good  of  a  united  people. 

It  is  said  that,  owing  to  social  life,  he  was  at  one  time 
drawn  into  perilous  habits,  but  that  on  hearing  one  of  the 
Virginia  preachers  he  squarely  turned  to  the  straight  road, 
and  ever  after  followed  it.  There  is  great  power  in  self- 
corrected  life. 

As  a  member  of  the  House  of  Representatives  it  be- 
came his  office  to  announce  the  death  of  Washington.  In 
recording  this  event  in  his  memorable  Life  of  Washington, 
he  modestly  says: 


1-tO  IN  THE   DAYS  OP  JEFFERSON 

"  A  member  arose  in  his  place  and  announced " 

He  became  a  great  orator,  but  he  only  spoke  when  the 
times  called  him. 

There  is  a  kind  of  rare  oratory  called  response  sans 
replique — "  address  without  reply,"  or  the  argument  that 
admits  of  no  refutation.     Of  this  Marshall  was  the  master. 

This  man,  as  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court,  was  to  bring 
his  great  heart  to  Jefferson  in  an  hour  of  need,  when 
Aaron  Burr  shall  have  failed  in  his  duties  to  his  country. 
We  cite  his  life  here  to  show  you  the  beautiful  Virgin- 
ian's spirit  that  filled  the  political  life  in  those  unsullied 
days,  and  that  was  being  molded  to  meet  the  needs  of  an 
ideal  age. 

Marshall  was  the  Father  of  Equity  in  America,  as  Jef- 
ferson was  the  Father  of  Equal  Rights.  What  a  noble 
period  of  history  was  the  three-score  and  ten  year-  that  pro- 
duced these  men! 


2.— RANDOLPH,   OF   ROANOKE 

There  was  another  orator  who  arose  in  Virginia  in 
these  patriotic  times — John  Randolph,  of  Roanoke.  He 
had  a  fiery  temper,  a  revengeful  disposition,  but  he  was 
a  patriot  whose  heart  was  generally  true.  We  have  said 
that  John  Marshall  changed  his  course  in  life  when  he 
found  himself  in  a  wrong  way,  and  have  shown  how 
Jefferson  put  aside  his  fiddle  when  the  charming  instru- 
ment beguiled  him  into  frivolous  society.  John  Randolph 
seemed  not  to  try  to  curb  his  temper  or  to  restrain  his  fiery 
words.  He  became  estranged  from  Jefferson,  and  bitterly 
criticised  him. 


TWO   MORE  REMARKABLE  BOYS  141 

"Are  you  sick?"  asked  his  physician,  in  his  last  days. 
"  Doctor,  I  have  been  sick  all  my  life,"  was  the  pitiful 
reply.  It  is  said  that  we  could  judge  all  people  charitably 
if  we  knew  all  their  lives  and  the  things  against  which 
each  one  has  to  contend.  There  are  people  who,  like  John 
Randolph,  are  sick  all  their  lives. 

He  had  Indian  blood  in  his  veins,  of  which  he  used  to 
boast,  for  he  was  descended  from  the  Princess  Pocahontas, 
the  daughter  of  the  great  Chief  Powhatan,  who,  according 
to  tradition,  saved  the  life  of  Captain  John  Smith,  and  who 
married  John  Rolfe,  an  Englishman,  and  was  baptized  into 
the  Christian  faith  and  presented  to  court. 

His  temperament  was  so  nervous  and  apprehensive  that 
he  sometimes  thought  himself  born  "  under  a  curse,"  and 
one  feels  to-day  that  he  could  have  risen  above  these  agita- 
tions and  soared  away  free  in  azure  air. 

He  was  crossed  in  life  and  disappointed  in  many  things; 
three  houses  were  burned,  and  his  oversensitive  nerves  led 
him  into  many  evils;  but  he  loved  his  friends  ardently,  and 
followed  any  cause  that  he  espoused  with  a  fiery  zeal.  His 
sarcasm  was  withering,  and  his  testy  temper  made  him  an 
object  of  ridicule  and  surrounded  him  with  enemies.  He 
fought  duels  and  warred  with  the  world  in  many  ways,  and 
yet  out  of  all  and  over  all  his  voice  often  rose  in  thrilling  elo- 
quence, which  has  been  compared  to  a  lava  flame,  for  what 
was  right. 

He  was  noted  in  youth  for  his  beauty  and  refinement 
of  features  and  manners.  But  he  was  cold  and  reserved, 
and  resented  familiarity.  Poetry  charmed  him,  and  he 
loved  to  rest  by  its  wells  and  imbibe  the  exhilarating 
draught.     He  talked  in  poetry  in  after  years.     His  great 


142  IN  THE  DAYS  OF  JEFFERSOX 

speeches  were  poems;  they  rose  into  flights  of  creative 
fancy;  they  glowed  and  flamed. 

He  was  a  man  who  seemed  not  to  know  what  to  do  with 
himself.    He  once  wrote  to  Francis  S.  Key,  of  Washington: 

"  Indeed  I  must  tell  you  what  gives  me  great  uneasi- 
ness; that,  instead  of  being  stimulated  to  the  discharge  of 
my  duties,  I  am  daily  becoming  more  indifferent  to  them, 
and,  consequently,  more  negligent.  I  see  many  whose 
minds  are  apparently  little  occupied  on  the  subject  that 
employs  me,  with  whom  I  think  I  should  be  glad  to  ex- 
change conditions;  for  surely,  when  they  discharge  con- 
scientiously their  part  in  life,  without  the  same  high  motive 
that  I  feel,  how  culpable  am  I,  being  negligent!  For  a 
long  time  the  thoughts  that  now  occupy  me  came  and  went 
out  of  my  mind.  Sometimes  they  were  banished  by  busi- 
ness; at  others,  by  pleasure.  But  heavy  afflictions  fell  upon 
me.  They  came  more  frequently  and  stayed  longer — press- 
ing upon  me,  until  at  last  I  never  went  to  sleep  nor  awoke 
but  they  were  last  and  first  in  my  recollection.  Oftentimes 
have  they  awakened  me,  until  at  length  I  can  not,  if  I 
would,  detach  myself  from  them.  Mixing  in  the  business  of 
the  world  I  find  highly  injurious  to  me.  I  can  not  repress 
the  feeling  which  the  conduct  of  our  fellow-men  too  often 
excites;  yet  I  hate  nobody,  and  I  have  endeavored  to  forgive 
all  who  have  done  me  an  injury,  as  I  have  asked  forgive- 
ness of  those  whom  I  may  have  wronged  in  thought  or 
deed.  If  I  could  have  my  way,  I  would  retire  to  some 
retreat,  far  from  the  strife  of  the  world,  and  pass  the  rem- 
nant of  my  days  in  meditation  and  prayer:  and  yet  this 
would  be  a  life  of  ignoble  security.  But,  my  good  friend, 
I  am  not  qualified  (as  yet,  at  least)  to  bear  the  heat  of  the 


TWO   MORE  REMARKABLE   BOYS  143 

battle.  I  seek  for  rest — for  peace.  I  have  read  much  of 
the  New  Testament  lately.  Some  of  the  texts  are  full  of 
consolation;  others  inspire  dread." 

He  led  the  lonely  life  of  a  bachelor.  He  had  not  a 
colonial  mansion,  like  the  other  orators.  He  lived  in  a 
house  of  four  rooms  in  the  virgin  forest  during  much  of 
the  time.  It  was  made  of  logs.  He  loved  great  trees,  sol- 
emn shades,  and  pure  air. 

His  mother  had  inspired  him  with  an  ambition  to  be  an 
orator.  As  such  he  flashed  suddenly  before  the  world.  He 
says  in  a  letter  to  a  niece :  "  My  first  attempt  at  public 
speaking  was  in  opposition  to  Patrick  Henry  at  Charlotte, 
1799."  In  those  two  speeches  Patrick  Henry's  sun  of  life 
descended,  and  Randolph's  rose.  Henry  said  magnani- 
mously of  the  young  orator:  "  Cherish  him;  he  is  a  young 
man  of  promise." 

His  talents  made  his  star.  He  was  elected  to  the 
national  House  of  Representatives  and  to  the  Senate. 

In  a  speech  to  the  people  of  Charlotte  in  declining  age 
he  uttered  these  thrilling  words: 

"  Twenty-eight  years  ago  you  took  me  by  the  hand 
when  a  beardless  boy,  and  led  me  into  Congress  hall.  The 
clerk  asked  me  if  I  was  of  lawful  age;  I  told  him  to  ask 
you.  You  said  you  had  a  faithful  representative.  I  said 
no  man  ever  had  such  constituents.  You  have  supported 
me  through  evil  report  and  through  good  report.  I  have 
served  you  to  the  best  of  my  ability,  but  fear  I  have  been 
an  unprofitable  servant;  and  if  justice  were  meted  out  to 
me,  should  be  beaten  with  many  stripes.  People  of  Char- 
lotte, which  of  you  is  without  sin?  But  I  know  I  shall  get 
a  verdict  of  acquittal  from  my  earthly  tribunal;  I  see  it 


144  EN   THE   DAYS   OF  JEFFERSON 

in  your  countenances.  But  it  is  time  for  me  to  retire,  and 
prepare  to  stand  before  another,  a  higher  tribunal,  where 
a  verdict  of  acquittal  will  be  of  inhnitely  more  importance 
than  one  from  an  earthly  tribunal.  Here  is  the  trust  you 
placed  in  my  hands  twenty-eight  years  ago.  Take  it  back.' 
take  it  back!  "  accompanying  his  concluding  words  with  a 
gesture  which  indicated  the  transferring  of  a  great  burden 
from  himself  back  to  his  constituents. 

He  was  a  believer  in  State  rights,  and  seemed  to  hate 
Xew  England.  He  was  an  enemy  to  legislation;  he  de- 
clared that  it  was  the  purpose  of  his  life  to  prevent  legis- 
lation, that  the  people  might  be  free. 

He  was  old  at  sixty,  when  many  are  young.  He  died 
alone,  attended  only  by  a  faithful  servant,  and  was  buried 
in  Roanoke  under  the  trees,  amid  a  solitude  that  only  the 
jay  or  the  squirrel  was  likely  to  disturb. 

He  was  a  strange  man,  with  his  unsteady  nerves,  his 
weak  body,  and  his  Indian  blood,  and  was  the  last  of  the 
great  Virginian  orators.  Yet  his  own  people  loved  him, 
and  he  was  true  to  Virginia,  and  Virginia  was  true  to  him. 

But  all  these  young  men  of  Jefferson's  time  had  a  pur- 
pose in  life.  The  age  itself  had  a  purpose.  An  atmosphere 
in  which  lives  a  purpose  develops  strong  men.  He  lived 
to  say  that  Jefferson's  first  administration  as  President  was 
the  most  ideal  government  he  had  ever  known.  He  erred, 
but  his  heart  turned  back  often  to  what  was  true. 

Selim  was  now  supposed  to  be  preaching  to  his  own 
people  in  Algiers.  The  people  did  not  hear  from  him:  they 
wondered  if  he  were  still  true  to  his  faith. 


CHAPTER  XXII 


SELIM    OF    THE    WINDMILL 


"  Selim  has  come  back." 

The  news  filled  the  country.  Few  things  in  the  period 
of  the  golden  age  of  Virginia  ever  caused  a  greater  sur- 
prise than  the  return  of  Selim,  the  Algerine.  Why  had 
he  come  back?  His  strange  vision  and  his  conversion  and 
his  going  away  to  preach  the  Gospel  among  his  own  kindred 
had  been  looked  upon  by  many  as  the  possible  vagaries  of 
an  unsettled  mind. 

His  story  of  a  high-born  ancestry  and  of  a  rich  home 
in  Algiers,  too,  had  been  doubted.  If  his  story  were  true 
he  was  indeed  one  of  the  noblest  of  men;  more,  he  was  no 
common  Christian.  If  it  were  true,  he  afforded  a  strong 
illustration  that  nationality  has  little  to  do  in  producing 
nobility  of  character.  Melchisedecs  may  arise  in  deserts, 
to  whom  Abrahams  may  pay  tithes,  "  without  father  or 
mother,  without  descent,  having  neither  beginning  of  days 
nor  end  of  life."  The  couriers  reported  from  town  to  town 
"  Selim  has  returned." 

A  ship  had  come  to  the  river  country,  and  the  Algerine 
again  had  stepped  upon  Virginian  soil.  The  Virginians 
at  the  port  were  astonished  to  see  his  dervishlike  robe  again 
in  this  part  of  the  world,  but  they  welcomed  him.     The 

145 


146  I^T   THE   DAYS   OF  JEFFERSON 

clergymen  heard  the  news  with  wonder.     Was  he  still  true 
to  the  faith? 

"  Selim  has  come  back  again,"  he  himself  said.  "  He 
went  to  his  own,  and  his  4  own  received  him  not."  Selim  has 
given  up  all,  but  everything  is  his  now." 

What  did  such  words  mean?  The  people  gathered 
around  him  in  the  port  to  hear  his  story. 

"  They  welcomed  Selim  home,"  he  said  pitifully.  "  The 
sea  lay  beautiful  in  the  sun;  the  mountains  burned;  the 
desert  glistened;  the  old  lands  were  as  they  used  to  be,  but 
Selim  could  not  wear  the  crescent,  and  his  country  has  gone 
from  him.'' 

He  spoke  in  Oriental  figures. 
"  He  went  to  his  home,"  he  continued  in  the  same  strain. 
"  The  house  was  beautiful,  the  birds  sang  in  the  trees,  the 
fountains  played  in  the  yard,  his  kindred  welcomed  him, 
but  when  Selim  told  his  kindred  that  he  had  become  a  fol- 
lower of  Christ  and  of  the  cross,  their  hearts  turned  cold 
to  him,  they  shut  their  gates  to  him;  they  shut  him  out 
from  the  gardens  where  the  flowers  bloomed,  and  the  birds 
sang,  and  the  fountains  played.  He  turned  away  from  all. 
But  his  kin  folks  said,  '  Come  back,  Selim,  come  back. 
Throw  down  the  cross  and  wear  the  crescent,  and  you  shall 
share  all  our  houses  and  mosques  and  riches  as  in  the  days 
of  old  when  Selim  went  forth  to  study  the  faith  of  the 
Prophet.' 

"  But  Selim's  heart  was  strong;  it  had  the  new  light. 
He  held  up  the  Bible,  and  said:  c  Selim  will  never  forsake 
the  faith  of  Christ  and  of  the  cross;  he  will  go  back  to  the 
wilderness  in  the  West,  where  he  saw  the  true  light.'  Then 
Selim  tried  to  preach  the  faith  of  the  cross,  but  they  shut 


SELIM   OF   THE   WINDMILL  147 

their  ears  to  him.      What  did  it  matter  to  Selim?      God 
owns  the  heavens.     But  Selim  pitied  them. 

"  So  Selim's  heart  began  to  long  for  his  brothers  of  the 
faith  over  the  sea.  He  sat  down  in  the  streets  among  the 
birds  like  a  beggai^  he  ate  with  the  birds  from  the  refuse 
of  the  tables  of  the  merchants  till  a  ship  came  from  the 
river  lands.  Then  Selim  begged  leave  of  the  captain  to 
take  him  on  board  the  ship,  and  he  saw  Algiers  fade  away. 

"  Selim  left  everything  for  the  faith  of  Christ  and  of 
the  cross — home,  riches,  ease,  everything.  The  master  of 
the  ship  and  the  sailors  know  Selim's  tale  to  be  true." 

Did  they  indeed?  Was  it  possible  that  this  poor  Al- 
gerine  had  given  up  everything  that  the  common  world 
covets  to  be  true  to  the  light  of  the  new  faith? 

People  pressed  about  the  Algerine  everywhere. 

They  found  that  his  strange  tale  was  true.  His  kindred 
in  Algiers  were  rich  Mohammedans.  They  had  rejoiced  at 
his  return,  and  offered  him  every  luxury  of  their  splendid 
estates,  but  had  been  filled  with  grief  and  horror  when 
they  had  learned  that  he  had  become  a  Christian.  A 
Christian  in  Algiers  was  a  dog — the  meanest  of  people 
refused  him  company. 

His  kin  folk  implored  him  to  recant;  but  his  new  faith 
had  become  everything  to  him.  For  it,  he  was  willing  to 
work  his  passage  across  the  sea  and  to  become  a  wanderer 
again  in  the  forests  of  the  West. 

His  story  filled  the  river  country  and  the  valley.  The 
churches  related  it  eventually  as  an  example  of  the  power 
of  the  faith. 

But  there  was  another  view  of  Selim.     It  was  that  a 
man  is  a  man,  and  is  capable  of  the  noblest  conduct  wher- 
11 


14S  IN   THE  DAYS  OF  JEFFERSON 

ever  be  may  be  born.  Men  of  views  like  Dabney  Can- 
were  multiplying  in  tbe  Old  Dominion.  Tbey  were  spread- 
ing tbe  thought  that  there  are  equal  possibilities  in  all 
men;  that  we  can  not  judge  men  by  their  race,  lineage, 
or  birth.  Jefferson  himself  was  coming  to  see  the  sacred- 
ness  of  this  truth,  which  is  clearly  taught  in  the  book  of 
Jonah  that  sets  forth  the  duty  of  the  prophet  to  preach 
to  the  people  of  ISTineveh  as  to  other  people,  and  lays 
down  the  principle  that  all  men  alike  need  the  highest 
teaching. 

So  politicians  as  well  as  the  clergy  became  deeply  in- 
terested in  the  strange  experience  of  this  man  of  the  wilder- 
ness from  Algiers.  Some  of  the  clergy  thought  him  a 
"  sign  to  the  people."  Some  of  the  new  orators  saw  a  like 
wonder  in  Selim.  There  are  men  who  powerfully  teach  by 
their  lives  as  well  as  by  words. 

The  case  of  Selim  led  to  a  new  and  higher  conception 
of  the  value  of  individual  life  in  Virginia.  People  saw  in 
it  the  worth  of  man,  of  every  man. 

He  was  like  a  walking  parable  as  he  went  about  the 
rude  Virginia  highways. 

"  The  heavens  hold  the  fulfillment  of  all  your  desires," 
he  would  say  in  substance.  He  had  rejected  the  world  for 
the  cross,  but  he  dreamed  that  the  universe  was  his.  He 
could  sing  the  songs  of  the  old  pioneer  preachers,  as  "  When 
I  set  out  for  glory,  I  left  the  world  behind." 

Things  were  moving  rapidly  toward  the  independence 
of  the  colonies  and  to  a  declaration  of  the  rights  of  all  men. 

People  said :  "  What  Selim  can  be  any  man  can  be. 
The  whole  world  is  better  than  we  have  thought  it  to  be." 

Selim  wandered  about  the  colony  for  years.     He  at  last 


SELIM   OF   THE  WINDMILL  149 

came  to  the  great  house  of  John  Page,  Jefferson's  college 
friend,  and  asked  this  man  of  fine  estates  for  protection. 

"  You  shall  have  a  home  with  me,"  said  Mr.  Page. 
"  It  would  be  a  hard  heart  that  would  deny  a  home  to 
Selim." 

Selim's  check  glowed. 

"  I  want  only  a  home  out  of  doors,"  he  said.  "  The 
stacks  will  do.    My  head  pains  and  trouble  dwells  in  houses." 

So  Selim  found  a  home  amid  the  barns  and  stacks  of 
John  Page's  place,  and  was  made  welcome  to  the  planter's 
tables.     His  favorite  haunt  was  a  breezy  old  windmill. 

:'  When  a  man  gives  up  everything  for  a  principle  he 
owns  everything,"  thought  Mr.  Page. 

The  planter  looked  upon  Selim  partly  as  an  exile  and 
partly  as  a  prophet,  but  Jefferson  and  his  friends  must 
have  read  in  him  the  noble  experiences  of  life  that  are  pos- 
sible to  every  man. 

People  came  from  many  places  to  see  Selim  of  the 
stacks. 

He  became  a  kind  of  living  sermon  to  the  times,  whose 
tendency  was  toward  universal  brotherhood. 

Virginia  at  this  critical  period,  when  new  opinions  were 
forming,  was  better  for  the  example  of  Selim.  The  wild 
man  of  the  Shenandoah  blazed  the  political  way.  Simple 
lives,  and  often  very  strange  ones,  become  a  part  of  great 
movements  of  thought.  Selim  did  not  wander  in  vain.  He 
saw  that  a  new  era  was  coming  into  the  world,  and  the 
heart  of  the  exile  rejoiced  to  see  the  light  of  the  better  day. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 


THE    SADDLEBAG    PREACHER 


"  A  little  well  written  is  immortality,"  said  Fitz- 
Greene  Halleck  to  Longfellow. 

When  a  dozen  lines  make  a  man  immortal  it  is  interest- 
ing to  trace  the  experiences  that  led  that  writer  to  pen 
those  dozen  lines.  We  are  aiming  to  show  you  the  circum- 
stances and  experiments  through  which  Jefferson's  preamble 
to  the  Declaration  of  Independence  was  evolved.  A  tree 
seems  to  bloom  in  a  single  day,  but  the  buds  have  been  long 
swelling,  and  preparing  for  the  coining  of  the  magic  sun- 
beams that  will  burst  them  asunder.  The  beautiful  colors 
of  the  apple  blooms  were  hidden  long  inside  of  the  brown 
buds. 

When  Parliament  gave  to  William  and  Mary  the 
Crown  it  adopted  a  bill  of  rights  to  protect  the  welfare 
of  the  people,  which  the  new  sovereigns  signed.  This  bill 
of  rights  asserted  the  right  of  subjects  to  petition,  the  right 
of  Parliament  to  freedom  of  debate  and  the  right  of  elect- 
ors to  choose  their  own  representatives.  Singularly  enough 
the  English  Crown  was  long  unwilling  to  extend  these  rights 
to  the  colonies. 

Thomas  Jefferson  sought  to  establish  a  bill  of  rights  for 
Virginia.  He  who  marches  in  advance  of  a  procession  takes 
150 


THE  SADDLEBAG  PREACHER  151 

perilous  steps.  But  "  posterity  cares  only  for  the  party  that 
triumphs,"  and  the  party  of  progressive  right  in  time  is 
certain  to  be  the  victor  on  the  field  of  human  welfare.  The 
slow  following  crowd  pass  into  oblivion;  a  man  rises  in  pro- 
portion to  the  resistance  that  he  has  to  overcome. 

Jefferson's  friends  were  always  noble  men.  He  chose 
the  best.  Any  young  man  who  would  make  the  best  of  his 
faculties  must  do  this.  Among  his  friends,  after  Dabney 
Carr  and  George  Wythe,  was  George  Mason,  a  man  without 
reproach,  an  early  abolitionist,  and  one  who  saw  that  justice 
could  only  govern  the  world  by  giving  to  every  man  his 
inherent  rights. 

This  man  drew  up  a  bill  of  rights  for  Virginia,  and 
made  it  an  example  for  the  other  colonies  to  follow.  (See 
Bancroft,  vol.  viii.) 

Dissenters  from  the  Church  of  England  had  no  political 
rights  before  1775.  The  principles  of  Koger  Williams  and 
William  Penn  had  found  few  champions  in  the  Old  Domin- 
ion. But  long  before  the  bill  of  rights  was  passed  by  the 
Virginian  Assembly,  a  petition  from  the  Baptists  asked  the 
Burgesses  to  accord  to  them  the  political  rights  of  all  re- 
spectable citizens. 

Jefferson  became  the  defender  of  the  rights  of  these 
disfranchised  people.  The  Baptist  volunteers  desired  to 
have  their  own  ministers  to  be  allowed  to  preach  to  them 
in  the  army.  This,  in  the  view  of  Jefferson,  was  an  in- 
alienable right.     He  defended  it  with  speech  and  pen. 

On  August  10,  1779,  the  Assembly  passed  the  following 
resolution : 

"  Fesolred,  That  the  commanding  officers  permit  dis- 
senting   clergymen    to    celebrate    divine    worship,    and    to 


152  IN   THE   DAYS  OF  JEFFERSON 

preach  to  the  soldiers  or  exhort  from  time  to  time,  as 
the  various  operations  of  the  military  service  may  per- 
mit." 

A  very  simple  and  commonplace  resolution  this  seems 
now,  hut  it  was  not  so  at  that  time.  Jefferson  was  not  a 
Baptist,  and  only  nominally  an  Episcopalian,  but  he  took 
up  the  cause  of  the  dissenting  sect,  and  helped  to  secure  for 
them  the  right  of  public  worship,  and  for  all  dissenters  the 
freedom  of  religious  opinion. 

In  every  step  like  this  he  was  gaining  power  to  strike  a 
blow  at  despotism  which  should  be  a  watchword  for  hu- 
manity for  all  time. 

It  is  always  thus,  step  by  step,  morally,  that  the  height 
of  human  achievement  is  achieved. 

At  this  time,  when  the  rights  of  religious  liberty  had 
been  secured  by  Mason,  Jefferson,  and  the  Burgesses,  there 
appeared  in  Virginia  a  man  whose  life  was  almost  as 
strange  as  Selim's,  and  who  began  to  draw  crowds  of  the 
people  after  him,  and  to  gain  a  wonderful  power  over  them. 
He  is  said  to  have  made  Madison  President  of  the  United 
States.  He  was  a  wandering  preacher,  a  forest  prophet. 
He  was  well  known  as  "  Elder  John  Leland."  He  had  been 
converted  by  hearing  voices  from  the  sky.  He  traveled 
about  in  a  state  of  abstraction;  he  sometimes  mounted  the 
pulpit  singing  his  own  hymns;  he  was  a  poet,  and  one  of 
his  hymns  has  found  a  place  in  the  choicest  selections  of 
modern  psalmody.     This  hymn  begins: 

' '  The  clay  is  past  and  gone, 
The  evening  shades  appear, 
Oh   may  we  all  remember  well 
The  night  of  death  draws  near. 


THE  SADDLEBAG  PREACHER  153 

"  We  lay  our  garments  by, 
Upon  our  beds  to  rest; 
So  death  will  soon  disrobe  us  all 
Of  what  we've  here  possessed." 

It  is  an  Ambrosian  strain,  and  the  reader  may  like  to 
find  it  in  some  collection  of  hymns,  and  study  it.  He  wrote 
other  hymns,  as  l>  Oh,  when  shall  I  see  Jesus?  "  but  they 
have  not  the  most  perfect  literary  expression. 

He  came  to  Virginia  from  Massachusetts.  He  felt  that 
he  had  a  calling  "to  go  from  a  simple  Massachusetts  town 
to  the  Virginia  wilderness."     Of  his  early  life  he  says: 

"  I  was  born  at  Grafton,  about  forty  miles  from  Boston, 
in  1754.  I  can  remember  the  death  of  George  II  and  the 
coronation  of  George  III." 

He  was  a  revival  preacher,  and  a  Baptist.  He  bap- 
tized by  immersion  more  than  fourteen  hundred  people  in 
his  travels.  After  winter  revivals,  he  used  to  cut  the  ice 
and  immerse  his  converts.  For  this  rugged  consecration 
he  wrote  the  hymn  beginning — 

"  Christians,  if  your  hearts  be  warm, 
lee  and  snow  can  do  no  harm." 

He  lived  in  many  places  in  Virginia,  and  at  one  time  in 
Louisa  County,  where  Dabney  Carr  had  made  his  little 
home.  Louisa  County  joined  Albemarle  County,  the  home 
of  Jefferson. 

As  this  man  went  about  preaching,  baptizing,  and  see- 
ing visions,  and  seeming  to  live  as  much  in  the  heavens  as 
on  the  earth,  he  became  an  ardent  patriot,  after  the  Vir- 
ginian tvpe,  and  began  to  cherish  an  ardent  admiration  for 
the  political  opinions  of  Jefferson.  He  saw  in  Jefferson  one 
of  the  political  prophets  of  the  world,  and  what  the  latter 


154  IN    THE   DAYS   OF   JEFFERSON 

had  done  for  the  Baptists  of  Virginia  gave  him  an  open  field 
to  which  he  thought  Heaven  had  called  him. 

So  this  man  rode  hither  and  thither  on  horseback,  travel- 
inn:  thousand  of  miles,  carrying  the  most  of  his  worldlv 
belongings  in  a  saddlebag.  He  lived  to  be  very  old,  and 
returned  to  his  native  State  after  the  war. 

Some  of  the  Virginia  clergymen  held  themselves  aloof 
from  Jefferson;  they  thought  him  too  radical.  But  this 
wanderer  gave  to  his  principles  of  human  equality  his  heart 
and  his  voice,  and  carried  the  people  with  him.  He  became 
a  great  political  force,  and  next  to  the  Gospel  he  preached 
the  principles  of  the  Declaration. 

His  wife  was  a  wonderful  woman.  In  the  unsettled 
times  before  the  war  she  used  to  knit  and  sew  by  moonlight. 
for  when  the  "  elder  "  was  away  she  did  not  dare  to  light  a 
lamp  lest  it  should  attract  the  notice  of  wandering  Indians 
or  escaped  slaves. 

Let  me  give  you  a  picture  of  a  service  under  the  charge 
of  this  errant  "  dis-enter  "  in  the  troubled  times  of  the  Old 
Virginia  days. 

The  news  had  gone  through  the  woods  among  the  settle- 
ments of  Albemarle  County  that  "  Elder  Leland  "  was  to 
preach  under  the  great  pines  on  the  Rivaima.  People  came 
flocking  to  the  gigantic  grove  from  all  parts  of  the  county, 
even  from  over  the  mountains,  and  with  them  came  Selim. 
He  wished  to  hear  the  "  elder "  who  was  directed  by 
"  voices  from  the  skies."  Horsemen  seemed  to  start  up 
from  the  woods.  AY  omen  came  with  babies.  There  were 
Indians  there,  and  negroes,  for  the  "  elder  "  believed  that 
all  souls  had  equal  need. 

Jefferson  himself  came  down  from  Monticello.  and  sat 


r  Lt- land  "  mounted  the  rude  pulpit. 


THE  SADDLEBAG  PREACHER  155 

on  horseback  near  the  crowd  of  people.  He,  too,  wished 
to  hear  the  eloquence  of  the  preacher,  who  would  receive 
no  salary,  who  had  heard  voices,  and  who  made  people 
tremble  and  weep  and  shout  and  fall  down  upon  the 
ground. 

"  Elder  Leland  "  came,  tall  and  stately,  with  uplifted 
face.  He  mounted  the  rude  pulpit,  under  the  cool  trees 
in  whose  tops  the  light  was  glimmering  and  birds  were 
singing.  He  began  to  sing  as  soon  as  he  had  dropped  down 
from  his  horse  one  of  the  old  revival  songs,  as  perhaps — 

"  How  precious  is  the  Name — 
Brethren,  sing! 
How  precious  is  the  Name — 

Brethren,  sing! 
How  precious  is  the  Name 

Of  Christ  our  Paschal  Lamb, 
Who  bore  our  sin  and  shame 
On  the  tree!" 

The  great  audience  was  hushed.  He  looked  like  one 
from  another  world.  As  his  soul  began  to  glow  in  the  midst 
of  the  long  discourse  people  cried  out  and  fell  down  in 
agonies  of  repentance.  Here  and  there  a  white-haired  man 
threw  up  his  hands  and  shouted,  and  a  spiritual  fervor  bore 
all  minds  after  the  thought  of  the  preacher. 

There  were  many  freethinkers  in  Virginia  at  this  time. 
These  were  represented  in  the  forest  assembly.  He  ap- 
pealed to  them  as  they  stood  by  themselves  on  the  outskirts 
of  the  swaying  crowd  on  thoughts  like  this: 

"  Christ  said,  '  I  have  power  to  lay  down  my  life  and  to 
take  it  up  again.'  Would  your  Socrates,  your  Plato,  your 
Mohammed,  or  Buddha,  ever  have  said  that?  He  was  not 
a  man." 


156  IN   THE    DAYS   OF   JEFFERSON 

Some  of  these  strong  men  felt  the  force  of  such  appeals. 
One  of  them  expressed  his  conviction  of  the  Gospel  truth 
when  the  preacher  gave  to  the  people  his  vision  of  the 
judgment  day.     People  trembled,  even  the  horses  neighed. 

At  last  the  sunset  glimmered  among  the  pines.  The 
fishing  eagles  were  flying  from  the  mountains  over  the 
Rivanna. 

The  good  preacher  paused. 

"  Good  people  all,  this  has  been  a  day  of  the  heavens.  I 
have  testified.  I  want  some  of  you  to  testify,  and  so 
strengthen  my  word.  How  do  you  know  that  you  are 
saved \  " 

There  rose  up  a  tall  form  with  a  dark  face  and  a  tur- 
baned  head.     The  people's  hearts  seemed  to  stand  still. 

He  pointed  to  a  scar  on  his  forehead. 

"  My  brain  throbs  and  burns,  and  it  will  never  cease  to 
ache  from  the  effects  of  this  cruel  blow.  I  was  not  to  blame 
for  the  blow,  but  I  forgive  the  man  who  struck  me.  I 
would  love  to  shield  him  from  any  injury.  I  can  bear  it 
all,  for  the  cross  makes  me  forgive  everybody  and  love 
everybody  as  I  love  Christ.  'If  any  man  will  do  his  will, 
he  shall  know.'     I  know  my  Lord." 

It  was  Selim.  His  dark  face  was  beautiful  in  the  light 
of  the  sunset  that  was  now  flashing  low  amid  the  trees. 

"  Elder  Leland  "  mounted  his  horse.  He  rode  away 
singing  one  of  the  old  traveling  preachers'  songs,  as — 

"  Farewell,  my  dear  brethren,  the  time  is  at  hand 
That  we  must  be  parted  from  this  social  band." 

They  watched  in  silent  reverence  as  he  moved  away, 
singing,   singing.       Then   the   assembly   dispersed,   and   the 


THE  SADDLEBAG  PREACHER  157 

people  went  to  their  mountain  homes.     Many  of  them  did 
not  reach  home  until  the  following  morning. 

It  was  such  assemblies  as  this  that  brought  the  people 
under  the  influence  of  this  man,  who,  by  it  and  an  act  of 
perfect  unselfishness,  was  to  help  shape  the  destiny  of  the 
nation.     We  shall  hear  of  him  again. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

JEFFERSON    SURRENDERS    TO    DABNEV    CARR    THE    GREAT 
OPPORTUNITY    OF    HIS    LIFE 

Extraordinary  events  were  at  hand. 

The  Stamp  Act  (17G5)  had  asserted  the  claim  that  Eng- 
land might  tax  the  colonies  without  representation.  The 
colonies  had  almost  unanimously  agreed  not  to  use  stamped 
goods.  The  Stamp  Act  was  afterward  repealed  in  17 GO,  but 
the  claim  was  still  made  that  England  had  the  right  to  tax 
her  colonies  whether  they  had  representation  in  the  home 
Government  or  not. 

In  the  year  1773  the  Virginia  House  of  Burgesses  was 
summoned  to  assemble  to  consider  an  extraordinary  meas- 
ure. It  was  to  appoint  a  Committee  of  Correspondence 
with  the  other  colonies  for  a  common  union  in  measures 
of  protection  against  infringements  upon  their  rights. 
Similar  measures  had  been  proclaimed  by  Samuel  Adams 
in  the  Massachusetts  Assembly.  The  measure  to  be  con- 
sidered in  the  House  of  Burgesses  meant  a  union  of  the 
colonies  for  such  legislation  as  tended  to  the  welfare  of 
all.  It  was  the  first  step  toward  a  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence, but  it  was  not  so  seen  to  be  at  that  time,  except 
by  political  prophets  like  Patrick  Henry  and  Richard 
Henry  Lee.  The  repeal  of  the  Stamp  Act  caused  great 
158 


JEFFERSON  SURRENDERS  TO   DABNEY   CARR        159 


rejoicing  in  the  colonies,  but  it  was  followed  by  other  coer- 
cive measures  equally  unjust  and  obnoxious,  and  each  re- 
striction to  the  rights  of  the  people  thrilled  the  susceptible 
soul  of  Dabney  Carr. 

The  young  farmer  poured  out  his  soul  to  Jefferson  in 
words  that  caught  the  spirit  of  the  times — words  of  a 
prophet's  fire. 

Dabney  Carr  and  Jefferson 
were  both  made  members  of  the 
Virginia  House  of  Burgesses, 
and  it  was  the  strong  desire  of 
Jefferson  that  Dabney  might 
win  in  that  august  body  the  dis- 
tinction which  his  broad  views 
merited.  There  were  two  par- 
ties in  the  House  of  Burgesses, 
the  aristocratic  and  the  demo- 
cratic or  republican. 

The  Republican  party  stood 
for  the  people,  and  to  the  service  of  this  party  Dabney 
gave  his  heart  and  hand.  He  felt  the  air  of  the  new  po- 
litical order  which  was  about  to  appear  on  earth,  when  all 
men  should  vote  and  unite  in  one  man  a  representative 
state.  The  rolling  message  had  come  from  Massachusetts 
in  the  words  "  Taxation  without  representation  is  tyranny." 

In  the  early  spring  (March,  1773)  Jefferson  and  Dab- 
ney Carr,  both  very  young  men,  rode  to  Williamsburg  to 
meet  the  suggestive  measure  which  was  brought  forward 
in  the  House  of  Burgesses.  They  talked  together  as  they 
rode  along  on  the  significance  of  the  new  measure. 

"  The  union  of  the  colonies  to  act  in  correspondence 


^^c^^t'^lfbryacee/ 


100  IN   THE   I>AYS  OF  JEFFERSON 

mean?  a  new  nation  with  an  independent  people,"  said 
Dabney  Carr. 

"  I  see  it  so.*"  said  Jefferson.  "  The  person  who  offers 
the  resolution  will  have  the  great  opportunity  of  his  life 
eak  words  that  will  live  in  events.  He  should  be  an 
orator." 

"  It  might  be  not  only  one  of  the  great  opportunities  of 
a  life,  but  of  the  world.  Mankind  is  about  to  ri^e  to  a 
higher  destiny.  The  Roman  age  is  coming  again,  but 
nobler  than  ever  before.  I  hope  that  you  may  be  selected 
to  offer  that  resolution.  You  have  the  spirit  of  it;  I  would 
be  proud  to  see  you  set  the  hand  on  the  new  clock  of  time, 
a  clock  with  the  stars  of  heaven  on  the  dial.  There  will 
always  be  a  better  age  to  come.  The  resolution  may  lead 
to  a  new  order  for  the  human  race.  It  may  give  thrones 
to  the  people.  It  may  make  America  the  divine  nation  of 
the  world.  I  hope  that  you  may  be  one  of  those  who  are 
to  lead  the  way  to  the  new  futui 

'*  Dabney,  do  you  know  what  is  in  my  hearth  " 

"  The  love  of  liberty  and  justice,  and  liberty  and  jus- 
tice tend  to  the  peace  of  mankind." 

"  Yes,  Dabney,  but  it  is  not  of  that  that  I  am  thinking. 
You  have  been  my  inspiration,  and  if  I  were  given  any 
great  opportunity  in  the  House  of  Burg<  sses  I  would  give 
ray  place  to  you.  I  would  rather  have  you  rise  than  to  rise 
myself.  Your  eye  sees  the  coming  age:  your  heart  is  a  bell 
that  rings  true  to  eternal  principles.  I  would  rather  hear 
your  voice  pleading  the  cause  of  the  people  than  any  other 
in  the  world." 

"Williamsburg  rose  before  them,  the  capital  of  this  col- 
ony of  Virginia  whose  history  had  been  so  marvelous. 


JEFFERSON  SURRENDERS  TO   DABNEY   CARR      161 

Take  your  map  and  span  it  with  your  eye  from  lati- 
tude 34°  to  45°.  That  was  once  Virginia,  and  New 
England  was  the  northern  part  of  Virginia.  The  Pil- 
grim Fathers  sailed  for  Virginia.  On  May  13,  1607, 
Jamestown  was  founded.  New  settlements  followed,  and 
a  long  line  of  governors  were  appointed  to  administer 
justice,  Lord  Delawarr  (Delaware)  leading  the  list, 
after  the  romantic  administration  of  Captain  John 
Smith. 

When  Charles  II  was  restored,  Berkeley  was  made  Gov- 
ernor, and  he  proclaimed  Charles  II  to  be  "  King  of  Eng- 
land, Scotland,  Ireland,  and  Virginia."  Because  Virginia 
had  ever  been  loyal  to  the  new  King  in  his  wanderings,  she 
had  become  known  as  the  Old  Dominion.  She  was  the  land 
of  the  Cavaliers.  Williamsburg  had  represented  a  vice- 
royal  society. 

All  was  changing  now — dissolving.  The  young  orators 
rising  in  the  wilderness  had  a  new  vision,  and  had  caught 
new  inspiration. 

The  meeting  of  the  burgesses  at  this  time  was  not  like 
the  meetings  of  the  burghers  of  old,  in  the  days  of  festivity 
when  gay  men  paid  court  to  the  king  through  the  royal 
governor.     A  new  legislation  was  at  hand. 

The  burgesses  came  to  the  rich  little  town  or  city  with 
grave  faces.  They  assembled  at  their  place  of  meeting 
with  a  stately  demeanor  and  restrained  words.  They 
seemed  to  feel  that  they  were  called  to  stand  alone  among 
mankind  that  were  about  to  take  a  step  to  which  the  way 
might  be  long  and  perilous  in  the  world.  Peyton  Randolph 
was  there;  also  Patrick  Henry,  Benjamin  Harrison,  and 
Richard  Henry  Lee. 


L62 


IN  THE   DAYS   OF  JEFFERSON 


They  sat  down  in  their  wigs,  velvets,  and  ruffles,  like 
old  Cavaliers,  but  in  a  different  spirit,  to  deliberate.  The 
first  question  that  arose  was.  What  should  the  new  resolu- 
tion state' 

They  formed  the  resolution  and  considered  it  long  and 
well.  It  read,  as  finally  amended, 
as  follows: 

"  Whereas,  The  minds  of  his 
[Majesty's  faithful  subjects  in  this 
colony  have  been  much  disturbed 
by  various  rumors  and  reports  of 
proceedings  tending  to  deprive 
them  of  their  ancient,  legal,  and 
constitutional  rights; 

".1//'/  whereas.  The  affairs  of 
this  colony  are  frequently  con- 
nected with  those  of  Great  Brit- 
ain as  well  as  the  neighboring  colonies,  which  renders 
a  communication  of  sentiments  necessary;  in  order,  there- 
fore, to  remove  the  uneasiness  and  to  quiet  the  minds  of 
the  people,  as  well  as  for  the  other  good  purposes  above 
mentioned : 

"  Be  it  resolved.  That  a  standing  committee  of  corre- 
spondence and  inquiry  be  appointed,  to  consist  of  eleven 
persons,  to  wit:  the  Honorable  Peyton  Randolph,  Esquire, 
Robert  0.  Nicholas,  Richard  Bland,  Richard  H.  Lee,  Ben- 
jamin Harrison,  Edmund  Pendleton,  Patrick  Henry,  Dud- 
ley Digges,  Dabney  Carr,  Archibald  Cary,  and  Thomas 
Jefferson,  Esquires,  any  six  of  whom  to  be  a  committee, 
whose  business  it  shall  be  to  obtain  the  most  early  and 
authentic  intelligence  of  all  such  acts  and  resolutions  of  the 


JEFFERSON  SURRENDERS  TO  DABNEY  CARR        163 

British  Parliament,  or  proceedings  of  administration,  as 
may  relate  to  or  affect  the  British  colonies  in  America; 
and  to  keep  up  and  maintain  a  correspondence  and  com- 
munication with  our  sister  colonies  respecting  those  impor- 
tant considerations;  and  the  result  of  their  proceedings, 
from  time  to  time,  to  lay  before  this  house. 

"  Resolved,  That  it  be  an  instruction  to  the  said  com- 
mittee that  they  do,  without  delay,  inform  themselves  par- 
ticularly of  the  principles  and  authority  on  which  was  con- 
stituted a  court  of  inquiry,  said  to  have  been  lately  held 
in  Ehode  Island,  with  powers  to  transport  persons  accused 
of  offenses  committed  in 'America  to  places  beyond  the  seas 
to  be  tried. 

"  The  said  resolutions  being  severally  read  a  second 
time,  were,  upon  the  question  severally  put  thereupon, 
agreed  to  by  the  house  nemine  contradicente. 

"  Resolved,  That  the  speaker  of  this  house  do  transmit 
to  the  speakers  of  the  different  assemblies  of  the  British 
colonies  on  the  continent  copies  of  the  said  resolutions,  and 
desire  that  they  will  lay  them  before  their  respective  assem- 
blies and  request  them  to  appoint  some  person  or  persons 
of  their  respective  bodies  to  communicate  from  time  to 
time  with  the  said  committee." 

"Who  should  have  the  honor  of  presenting  this  momen- 
tous resolution? — an  honor  it  might  be  that  would  lift  the 
mover  to  the  height  of  influence  and  fame  in  all  the 
colonies. 

He  must  be  a  man  of  vision  and  eloquence.  His  voice 
would  cross  the  sea. 

A  burgess  said: 

"  Let  a  young  man  send  forth  the  word  that  is  to  unite 
12 


164  IN  THE  DAYS  OF  JEFFERSON 

this  people.  I  move  that  Thomas  Jefferson  he  appointed 
to  offer  a  resolution  that  a  committee  be  appointed  for  cor- 
respondence with  the  colonies." 

Jefferson  arose,  and  said  in  substance: 

"  I  am  grateful  for  the  honor  that  you  would  bestow 
upon  me  in  a  measure  that  may  be  one  of  far-reaching 
influence.  As  a  young  man  I  would  be  glad  to  meet  your 
expectations  in  so  momentous  a  matter.  But  there  is  an- 
other young  man  here  who  is  gifted  with  clear  vision 
and  who  can  give  ideals  living  words.  He  can  perform 
this  service  better  than  I.  In  a  great  cause  one  should 
yield  his  service  to  any  one  who  can  perform  it  better 
than  he.  I  step  aside  and  ask  that  the  mover  of  this 
resolution  may  be  the  new  member  from  Louisa — Dabney 
(a  IT." 

The  burgesses  well  knew  the  worth  of  young  Dabney 
Carr,  and  felt  the  greatness  of  the  ?oul  of  Jefferson  in  his 
yielding  the  place. 

"  It  may  be  the  great  opportunity  of  your  life."  said  a 
burgess. 

"  It  is  the  great  opportunity  of  my  life  to  be  able  to 
yield  my  place  to  the  one  who  can  bring  to  it  greater 
gifts  than  I.  TVhen  I  am  called  to  do  what  I  can  do 
better  than  another,  or  think  I  can,  I  will  be  found  at 
my  post." 

It  was  March  12.  1773.  A  committee  of  the  whole 
had  been  called  to  listen  to  the  motion  for  the  resolution. 
The  House  of  Burgesses  had  been  recently  dissolved  by 
the  royal  Governor,  but  re-elected,  and  the  burgesses  felt 
that  the  force  of  royal  authority  was  upon  them. 

Young  Dabney  Carr,  the  member  from  Louisa,  arose. 


JEFFERSON   SURRENDERS  TO  DABNEY  CARR        165 

He  was  a  new  member  and  had  not  been  heard  as  an  orator. 
Patrick  Henry  was  listening,  and  Richard  Henry  Lee.  Both 
expected  to  speak  on  the  measure  later. 

He  faced  the  burgesses.  His  eye  rested  on  Jefferson, 
who  had  loved  him  better  than  himself,  and  the  cause  of 
liberty  more  than  all. 

An  assembly  of  orators  though  they  were,  the  burgesses 
were  thrilled  to  a  new  patriotism  when  the  voice  of  the 
young  orator  rose  and  set  forth  the  reasons  why  the  colonies 
should  unite  for  the  beginning  of  measures  that  should  lead 
to  those  sacred  rights  upon  which  only  a  new  nation  could 
rise. 

Wirt's  thrilling  Life  of  Patrick  Henry  thus  describes 
the  scene: 

"  In  supporting  these  resolutions  Mr.  Carr  made  his 
debut,  and  a  noble  one  it  is  said  to  have  been.  This  gentle- 
man, by  profession  a  lawyer,  had  recently  commenced  his 
practice  at  the  same  bars  with  Patrick  Henry;  and  although 
he  had  not  yet  reached  the  meridian  of  life,  he  was  con- 
sidered by  far  the  most  formidable  rival  in  forensic  elo- 
quence that  Mr.  Henry  had  ever  yet  had  to  encounter.  He 
had  the  advantage  of  a  person  at  once  dignified  and  enga- 
ging, and  the  manner  and  action  of  an  accomplished  gentle- 
man. His  education  was  a  finished  one;  his  mind  trained 
to  correct  thinking;  his  conceptions  quick,  and  clear,  and 
strong:  he  reasoned  with  great  cogency,  and  had  an  imagi- 
nation which  enlightened  beautifully,  without  interrupting 
or  diverting  the  course  of  his  argument.  His  voice  was 
finely  toned;  his  feelings  acute;  his  style  free,  and  rich,  and 
various;  his  devotion  to  the  cause  of  liberty  verging  on 
enthusiasm;  and  his  spirit  firm  and  undaunted  beyond  the 


166  IN  THE   DAYS  OF  JEFFERSON 

possibility  of  being  shaken.     With  what  delight  the  House 

of   Burgesses   hailed   this   new    champion,    and   felicitated 

themselves  on  such  an  accession  to  their  cause,  it  is  easy 

to  imagine.     But  what  are  the  hopes  and  expectations  of 

mortals ! 

"  '  Ostendent  terris  hunc  fata,  neque  ultra 
Esse  sinent '  " 

That  day  two  young  burgesses  walked  out  into  the 
streets  of  Williamsburg — Thomas  Jefferson  and  Dabney 
Carr.  The  first  had  given  to  the  other  the  opportunity  of 
a  lifetime. 

They  passed  an  old  man.  He  put  into  the  hand  of  the 
young  orator  a  golden  horseshoe,  and  said,  "  You  are  cross- 
ing the  mountains." 

There  are  riches  that  do  not  enrich;  there  is  success 
that  is  not  success.  He  who  gives  up  himself  and  all  that 
he  has  to  the  right  man  and  the  right  cause  from  the 
right  motive  is  successful,  even  though  he  were  to  extin- 
guish the  light  of  his  own  name. 

Reader,  after  this  chapter,  which  for  the  most  part  is 
substantially  true — fact  pictured  in  fiction — your  heart  will 
be  very  glad  if  a  day  of  opportunity  shall  come  to  Thomas 
Jefferson  also. 

Thomas  Jefferson  is  worthy  to  write  something  that 
shall  be  immortal. 

"  A  little  well  written  is  immortality,"  said  Fitz-Greene 
Halleek  to  Longfellow.  Young  Thomas  Jefferson  is  mak- 
ing the  preparation  of  heart  and  life  to  write  something 
well. 

He  may  be  called  upon  to  pen  a  state  paper  one  day 


JEFFERSON  SURRENDERS  TO   DABNEY  CARR        167 

that  thrones  will  hear.  If  so,  it  will  flow  out  of  the  ink 
of  an  unselfish  heart. 

This  is  the  way  that  the  truly  great  gain  power. 

A  few  weeks  after  this  event  which  had  filled  Jeffer- 
son's heart  with  such  joy  a  courier  came  running  his  horse 
to  meet  him. 

"  Dabney  Carr  is  dead!"  was  the  terrible  intelligence 
that  he  brought.  "  He  died  at  the  county  house,  away  from 
home — of  fever!  " 

Could  such  news  be  true? 

One  of  the  friends  of  Jefferson  has  thus  told  the 
tale: 

"  Of  the  many  friends  by  whom  he  was  surrounded  in 
his  college  days  Dabney  Carr  was  his  favorite.  His  friend- 
ship for  him  was  strengthened  by  the  ties  of  family  con- 
nection on  his  becoming  his  brother-in-law  as  the  husband 
of  his  sister  Martha.  As  boys,  they  had  loved  each  other; 
and  when  studying  together  it  was  their  habit  to  go  with 
their  books  to  the  well-wooded  sides  of  Monticello,  and 
there  pursue  their  studies  beneath  the  shade  of  a  favorite 
oak.  So  much  attached  did  the  two  friends  become  to  this 
tree  that  it  became  the  subject  of  a  mutual  promise  that 
the  one  who  survived  should  see  that  the  body  of  the  other 
was  buried  at  its  foot.  When  young  Carr's  untimely  death 
occurred  Jefferson  was  away  from  home,  and  on  his  return 
he  found  that  he  had  been  buried  at  Shadwell.  Being 
mindful  of  his  promise,  he  had  the  body  disinterred,  and,  re- 
moving it,  placed  it  beneath  that  tree  whose  branches  now 
bend  over  such  illustrious  dead,  for  this  was  the  origin  of  the 
graveyard  at  Monticello. 

"  It  is  not  only  as  Jefferson's  friend  that  Dabney  Carr 


168  EN  THE  DAYS  OF  JEFFERSON 

lives  in  history.  The  brilliancy  of  the  reputation  which  he 
won  in  his  short  career  has  placed  his  name  among  the 
men  who  stood  first  for  talent  and  patriotism  in  the  early 
days  of  the  Revolution. " 

Dabney  Carr  was  in  one  sense  not  dead;  he  was  to  live 
on  in  the  influence  he  had  had  on  Jefferson. 


CHAPTER  XXV 


A    VOICE    IN    THE    WINDOW 


The  Jefferson  family,  including  the  wife  and  six  chil- 
dren of  Dabney  Carr,  gathered  one  evening  in  the  great 
room  for  the  family  singing.  The  ancient  Sir  Knight  of 
the  Golden  Horseshoe  was  there. 

Jefferson  was  beloved  as  few  men  ever  have  been  by 
all  of  his  great  family.  His  favorite  sister  seems  to  have 
been  Jane,  who  was  a  lover  of  music,  but  she  had  died  at 
the  age  of  twenty-seven. 

Peter  Carr,  the  little  son  of  Dabney  Carr,  stood  by  his 
uncle's  side.  Jefferson  was  more  than  an  uncle  to  him; 
he  was  a  father  to  him,  as  he  had  promised  Dabney  Carr 
that  he  would  always  be  to  all  of  his  children,  should  the 
hour  of  need  ever  come.  The  orphans  of  Dabney  Carr  were 
all  gathered  around  the  chair  of  their  uncle,  the  little  ones 
sitting  on  the  floor  waiting  to  hear  Jefferson  play,  which 
was  always  a  delight  to  them.  The  widow  of  Dabney 
Carr  sat  by  the  fire  dreaming  of  the  past. 

It  was  indeed  a  circle  of  love.  Happy  is  a  true  loving 
heart,  and  the  soul  of  Jefferson  was  very  happy  indeed  in 
this  family  circle. 

He  tuned  his  violin.     Between  the  tightening  of  the 

cords  he  said: 

169 


170  EN   THE  DAYS   OF  JEFFEKSoX 

"'  I  wish  I  could  be  a  plain,  common  farmer,  and  always 
live  with  you.  The  singing  hour  with  my  own  family 
would  bring  me  contentment  but  for "  He  hesi- 
tated. 

"  But  for  what,  uncle?  "  said  little  Peter  Carr. 

"  But  for  the  people.  I  will  have  to  go  away  from  you 
all  to  serve  the  people." 

He  tightened  the  cords  of  the  violin,  and  used  the  bow 
to  test  the  tone,  and  then  said: 

"  If  I  could  have  my  choice  in  life.  I  would  be  a 
farmer.  It  is  the  happiest  life  that  can  be  led.  The 
farmer  has  time  to  live  in  the  heart  of  his  family,  to  enjoy 
Nature,  and  to  study  the  aouL  What  in  all  life  can  be 
better  than  that '.  Fame  is  nothing — one  can  not  know 
now  who  built  the  pyramids.  To  gain  wealth  is  to  follow 
selfishness.  I  would  not  be  rich  if  I  could.  To  be  a  farmer 
on  one's  own  estate,  surrounded  by  a  family  I  love,  is  more 
than  any  other  thing.  I  repeat  it,  more  than  any  other 
thing.     I  love  you  all." 

His  sister.  Mrs.  Carr,  looked  toward  him  with  tears, 
and  said: 

"O  Thomas!  " 

Little  Peter  Carr  drew  close  to  his  uncle,  and  asked: 

"  Do  you  love  me '.  " 

"  As  I  loved  your  father.  But,"  he  added,  "  I  am 
going  to  leave  you  all  to-morrow,  and  go  to  the  Vir- 
ginia Assembly,  and  after  that  I  may  have  to  face  a 
public  life." 

He  tuned  the  violin  again,  which  sent  forth  more  har- 
monk'n-  sounds. 

•'  If  you  are  contented  with  us,  why  do  you  go  away'  " 


A  VOICE  IN  THE  WINDOW  171 

"  I  can  not  be  contented  unless  I  do  my  duty  to  the 
people.  I  will  come  back  again,  and  as  often  as  I  do  I 
want  you  all  to  receive  me  with  loving  hearts.  I  may 
come  back  defeated." 

"  I  will  be  a  son  to  you  then,"  said  little  Peter  Carr. 

"  I  may  come  back  poor,"  said  Jefferson. 

"  We  will  all  work  for  you  then,"  said  Jane.  "  I  can 
work;  I  love  to  work  for  you." 

"  Did  ever  a  man  have  such  a  family? "  said  Jefferson. 
"  I  wish  I  could  return  to  you  and  tell  you  that  the  colonies 
had  declared  themselves  free  from  England  forever,"  he 
said. 

"  We  would  blow  the  hunting  horns,"  said  little 
Peter. 

The  mysterious  Ginseng,  the  shadowing  Indian,  ap- 
peared at  the  open  window,  and  said:  "  I  would  blow  the 
conch  shell." 

The  faces  of  the  family  turned  toward  Ginseng.  How 
like  some  pictures  from  Ossian  he  looked  there,  a  shadow 
among  the  shadows! 

There  was  a  youth  in  the  company  who  was  a  visitor. 
His  name  was  Clark.  His  father  lived  in  the  neighbor- 
ing county,  was  an  officer  in  the  Virginia  service  on 
the  border,  and  was  trying  to  keep  peace  among  the  In- 
dians. 

This  youth  said  modestly: 

"  Mr.  Jefferson,  may  I  speak?  " 

"  Yes,  my  lad,  speak  on." 

"  I  wish  that  you  could  be  made  a  governor — a  gov- 
ernor of  Virginia  by  the  people,  and  that  you  could  be 
like  Governor  Spotswood,  and  lead  a  troop  down  into  Louisi- 


172  IX   THE    DAYS   OF   JEFFERSON 

ana  and  add  Louisiana  to  Virginia.  I  like  to  dream  of 
such  things,  and  I  love  to  dream  of  you." 

Jefferson  continued  tuning  his  violin,  and  put  his  ear 
down  to  the  strings.  He  stood  up  and  lifted  his  bow,  but 
he  did  not  begin  to  play. 

"  I  am  thinking."  he  said.  "  If  I  could  come  back  to 
you  and  tell  you  that  the  colonies  were  free  that  would 
make  me  happy." 

"  And  I  would  blow  the  conch/*  said  Ginseng. 

"  And  if  I  could  come  back  to  you  again  and  say  to 
you  that  Virginia  had  purchased  Louisiana  I  would  be 
happy  again.  I  would  be  content  then  to  be  farmer  Jef- 
ferson." 

"  Then  we  would  all  have  a  jubilee,"  said  Peter  Carr. 

"Father  Jefferson!  " 

The  voice  came  from  the  window. 

There  was  another  figure  there — a  face.  It  was  not  an 
Indian,  but  the  eyes  were  dark  and  the  face  like  the  night. 

"  Father  Jefferson,  it  will  be  so." 

It  was  the  voice  of  the  wandering  Selim. 

"  You  will  come  back  and  tell  us  that  the  colonies  are 
free,"  said  Peter.  "  You  will  come  back  and  lead  ex- 
plorers into  Louisiana  as  Governor  Spotswood  began  to  do. 
You  will  be  a  Spotswood  and  I  will  help  you  as  father  would 
have  done.     Selim  has  said  it." 

Jefferson  stood  there  with  the  lifted  violin. 

"  Jane,  what  shall  we  sing?  " 

"  Let  us  sing  one  of  the  traveling  preachers'  songs  to- 
night, for  I  am  going  away." 

He  drew  the  bow. 

A  light  dying  fire  gleamed  on  the  hearth.     The  Indian 


A   VOICE   IX  THE   WINDOW  173 

and  the  Algerine  stood  amid  magnolias  at  the  window. 
Peter  Carr,  in  order  to  be  as  near  to  his  uncle  as  possible, 
stood  under  the  violin,  and  the  little  orphans  of  Dabney 
Carr  drew  close  around  the  feet  of  the  tall,  great-hearted 
man. 

Jefferson  played  a  forest  preacher's  melody  that  eve, 
recalled  at  this  sacred  hour — The  Sound  of  a  Going  in  the 
Mulberry  Trees. 

It  was  but  a  rude  rift  of  song,  which  the  people  sang 
in  their  forest  camp  gatherings  when  such  men  as  Elder 
Leland  preached. 

Then  Jefferson  played  an  entrancing  air  from  Mozart, 
and  finally  the  Don  Giovanni  minuet. 

At  the  latter  all  rose  and  circled  around  him  till  he 
lifted  the  violin  over  his  head  and  he  was  clasped  in  the 
arms  of  all. 

"  Whatever  I  may  do,  wherever  I  may  go,  my  heart 
will  always  be  here,  right  here.  I  shall  always  be  farmer 
Jefferson  in  the  heart  of  my  own  home;  the  world  is  a 
wilderness  to  me,  but  into  the  thick  of  it  I  must  go,  for 
America  must  be  free,  and  her  bounds  must  extend  from 
sea  to  sea." 

"  And  you  must  fulfill  all  that  Governor  Spotswood 
saw — I  rode  with  him,"  said  the  ancient  Sir  Knight  of  the 
Golden  Horseshoe.  "  I  have  brought  this  little  present  to 
you,  like  the  one  I  gave  to  Dabney  Carr.  It  is  the  second 
one." 

He  handed  him  a  small  golden  horseshoe,  on  which  was 
engraved  "  Thus  we  swear  to  cross  the  mountains." 

He  bent  over  him  in  a  fatherly  way,  and  repeated  his 
rude  prophecy: 


174  IN  THE  DAYS  OF  JEFFERSON 

"  A  golden  horseshoe  I  bring  to  thee. 
The  whole  of  America  must  be  free, 
And  her  bounds  extend  from  sea  to  sea, 
And  safe  from  Europe  must  ever  be. 
Tis  thus  we  cross  the  mountains!  " 

He  added  with  uplifted  face  and  hands: 
"  Thomas  Jefferson,  I  shall  live  to  see  that  day.     I  am 
a  sign  to  the  people." 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

THE    MASTERPIECE    OF    AMERICAN    ORATORY 

Events  were  hurrying'.  I  have  been  giving  you  home 
pictures  of  remarkable  boys,  preparing  for  some  high 
career,  they  knew  not  what,  in  the  Virginia  wilderness. 

The  magic  orator,  the  thrilling,  forensic  force,  the  glow- 
ing firebrand  of  the  rising  resistance  of  the  American  colo- 
nies against  Great  Britain  was  to  be  the  boy  who  studied 
Livy  under  the  trees  on  river  banks — Patrick  Henry. 

His  words  in  opposition  to  the  Stamp  Act  in  1764  had 
become  a  household  story.  He  had  been  elected  to  Con- 
gress, and  in  his  first  speech  had  said:  "  I  am  a  Virginian, 
but  I  am  an  American." 

In  March,  1775,  he  introduced  a  resolution  into  the 
Virginia  Assembly  to  organize  the  militia,  and  uttered  an 
oration  in  three  words  that  were  as  hammer  strokes,  "  We 
must  fight!" 

He  had  said  in  his  speech  in  opposition  to  the  Stamp 
Act: 

"  Csesar  had  his  Brutus,  Charles  the  First  his  Crom- 
well, and  George  the  Third " 

"  Treason !  "  shouted  many  voices.     He  added : 

"  And  George  the  Third  may  profit  by  their  example." 

This  part  of  the  fiery  oration  which  had  startled  the 

175 


176  IN  THE  DAYS  OF  JEFFERSON 

Virginians  bad  furnished  a  suggestion  which  had  been  like 
an  arrested  bugle  call. 

But  it  was  his  oration  of  March  23,  1775,  to  which  we 
have  alluded,  in  which  he  had  said,  "  I  know  not  what 
course  others  may  take,  but  as  for  me,  give  me  liberty  or 
give  me  death, "  that  summoned  the  colonies  to  arms. 

How  was  this  impassioned  oration  delivered? 

It  took  place  in  St.  John's  Church,  Richmond,  a  chapel 
of  some  fifty  or  more  pews. 

"  It  was  on  that  occasion,"  said  St.  George  Tucker, 
"  that  I  first  felt  a  full  impression  of  Mr.  Henry's  powers. 
In  vain  should  I  attempt  to  give  any  idea  of  his  speech.  He 
was  calm  and  collected;  touched  upon  the  origin  and  prog- 
ress of  the  dispute  between  Great  Britain  and  the  colonies, 
the  various  conciliatory  measures  adopted  by  the  latter, 
and  the  uniformly  increasing  tone  of  violence  and  arrogance 
on  the  part  of  the  former." 

"  Henry,''  said  another  eyewitness,  "  rose  with  an  un- 
earthly fire  burning  in  his  eye.  He  commenced  somewhat 
calmly,  but  the  smothered  excitement  began  more  and  more 
to  play  upon  his  features  and  thrill  in  the  tones  of  his  voice. 
The  tendons  of  his  neck  stood  out  white  and  rigid  like  whip- 
cords. His  voice  rose  louder  and  louder  until  the  walls 
of  the  building,  and  all  within  them,  seemed  to  shake  and 
rock  in  its  tremendous  vibrations.  Finally,  his  pale  face 
and  glaring  eye  became  terrible  to  look  upon.  Men  leaned 
forward  in  their  seats,  with  their  heads  strained  forward, 
their  faces  pale,  and  their  eyes  glaring  like  the  speaker's. 
His  last  exclamation,  '  Give  me  liberty  or  give  me  death!  ' 
was  like  the  shout  of  the  leader  which  turns  back  the  rout 
of  battle.    When  he  sat  I  felt  sick  with  excitement.     Everv 


THE  MASTERPIECE  OP   AMERICAN  ORATORY         177 

eye  yet  gazed  entranced  on  Henry.  It  seemed  as  if  a  word 
from  him  would  have  led  to  any  wild  explosion  of  violence. 
Men  looked  beside  themselves." 

The  closing  sentences  were  these : 

"  It  is  in  vain,  sir,  to  extenuate  the  matter.  Gentle- 
men may  cry,  '  Peace !  peace !  '  but  there  is  no  peace.  The 
war  is  actually  begun!  The  next  gale  that  sweeps  from 
the  north  will  bring  to  our  ears  the  clash  of  resounding 
arms!  Our  brethren  are  already  in  the  field!  Why  stand 
we  here  idle?  What  is  it  that  gentlemen  wish?  What 
would  they  have?  Is  life  so  dear  or  peace  so  sweet  as  to 
be  purchased  at  the  price  of  chains  and  slavery?  Forbid 
it,  Almighty  God!  I  know  not  what  course  others  may 
take;  but  as  for  me,  give  me  liberty  or  give  me  death!  " 

As  he  passed  out  of  the  church  a  hand  touched  his. 

He  turned.  The  "  Sir  Knight  "  or  the  "  Sign  "  was  fol- 
lowing him. 

"  I  promised  you  this,"  said  the  old  man.  He  handed 
him  a  golden  horseshoe.  "  You  are  crossing  the  mountains. 
You  are  the  third  to  whom  I  have  given  the  sign  and  watch- 
word— 

"  A  golden  horseshoe  I  give  to  thee. 
The  whole  of  America " 

But  his  voice  was  lost  in  the  voices  that  surrounded 
the  young  orator  on  that  brightening  March  day. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

THE      PRIXCTPLES     OF     THE     DECLARATION     OF      IXDEPEXDEXCE 
BEGIX    TO    FORM    IX    FARMER    JEFFEESOx's    YOUNG    MIXD 

Jeffersox  bad  a  mind  that  rose  superior  to  illusions; 
he  saw  human  rights. 

In  1774  he  was  a  candidate  for  the  Virginia  Conven- 
tion that  was  to  instruct  the  delegates  to  the  Continental 
Congress  in  regard  to  their  duties  toward  the  King.  It  was 
suggested  to  him  that  he  should  prepare  a  draft  of  instruc- 
tions. He  was  a  young  man  to  be  asked  to  indirectly  in- 
struct the  King  of  Great  Britain,  the  common  king. 

It  was  summer.  On  the  breezy  heights  of  Monticello, 
where  the  air  was  exhilaration,  and  the  sun  rose  clear,  and 
the  clusters  of  towering  trees  were  sanctuaries,  he  sat  down 
to  this  work,  which  he  was  assured  would  be  called  for  by 
the  delegates,  who  were  to  instruct  the  congressmen  of  the 
freeholders,  who  were  to  form  a  petition  to  the  King.  He 
saw  that  the  paper  might  reach  the  King  himself,  if  not 
the  King's  ministers. 

George  III  had  been  taught  to  believe  that  he  was  a 
king  by  divine  right,  and  that  the  people  were  his  servants. 
But  this  young  burgess  had  come  to  regard  the  people  as 
sovereign,  and  the  King  as  their  servant.  It  was  from  this 
point  of  view  that  Jefferson  began  to  write  the  draft  of 
178 


DECLARATION  OF  INDEPENDENCE  179 

instructions  that  read  like  one  of  the  talks  of  Dabney  Carr 
under  the  great  oaks  of  Monticello  that  caught  the  first 
rays  and  reflected  the  last  rays  of  the  sun. 

The  Continental  Congress,  he  thought,  should  address  the 
King  as  demanding  not  "  favors,"  but  "  rights." 

If  the  paper  was  ever  read  by  George  III  he  must  have 
stared  to  think  that  in  the  whole  world  there  was  a  body 
of  men  capable  of  such  audacity. 

Jefferson  asked  the  King  to  reflect  "  that  he  was  only 
the  chief  officer  of  the  people,  to  assist  the  people  in  carry- 
ing out  definite  laws."  The  King  must  have  lifted  his 
spectacles  and  turned  to  his  snuffbox  after  such  a  new 
view  of  his  position.  What  was  the  use  of  the  crown,  the 
scepter,  the  lion  and  the  unicorn,  if  this  were  so? 

But  the  young  man  became  more  audacious.  He  as- 
serted that  legislatures  were  superior  to  their  sovereigns, 
and  that  Great  Britain  had  no  more  right  to  pass  laws  for 
Virginia  than  Virginia  for  Great  Britain. 

Such  a  declaration  as  that  might  well  cause  the  British 
lion  to  send  up  a  roar  that  would  reach  the  skies  and  cross 
the  seas. 

Jefferson  had  a  great  retinue  of  slaves,  which  he  wished 
to  set  free,  and,  like  other  young  burgesses  of  Virginia  at 
this  time,  he  was  opposed  to  the  further  importation  of 
slaves  into  the  colony.  He  arraigned  the  political  morals  of 
the  King  in  continuing  the  slave  trade.  These  views  he 
afterward  embodied  in  the  Declaration  of  Independence, 
but  they  were  stricken  out. 

There  were  many  other  things  about  which  this  ardent 
young  farmer,  breathing  the  pure  mountain  air  of  Monti- 
cello,  wished  the  King  to  be  informed.     One  of  these  was 
13 


IgO  IX   THE   DAYS   OF   JEFFERSON 

"  that  the  King  had  no  right  to  land  a  single  armed  man 
upon  these  shores  "  without  the  consent  of  the  colonies. 

This  would  be  to  overturn  the  throne  indeed!  George 
III  could  never  have  thought  of  any  of  his  colonies  dream- 
ing such  a  dream  as  this.  He,  in  his  own  view,  was  ap- 
pointed by  Heaven,  to  say  what  the  colonies  should  do  and 
be,  and  eat  and  drink  and  wear. 

Young  Jefferson  concludes  the  paper  with  this  astound- 
ing declaration: 

"  Open  your  heart,  sire,  to  liberal  and  expanded  thought. 
Let  not  the  name  of  George  III  be  a  blot  on  the  page  of 
history. 

"  The  whole  art  of  government  consists  in  being  honest." 

This  last  declaration  was  as  true  as  the  heavens,  but 
what  a  message  from  a  yoimg  Virginia  farmer  to  send  to 
George  III! 

Did  the  "  instructions "  to  the  Virginia  delegates  to 
the  Continental  Congress  ever  reach  the  King  i 

We  can  not  say.  The  convention  found  the  resolutions 
too  strong.  The  burgesses  read  these  advanced  ideas  with 
staring  eyes  and  walked  around  in  circles  of  thought  as 
they  saw  their  gravitation.  They  concluded  to  publish 
the  "  instructions  "  in  pamphlet  form  for  private  circula- 
tion. In  this  form  they  attained  a  great  popularity,  and 
reached  England,  and  filled  statesmen  with  wonder. 

The  pamphlet,  however,  brought  to  Jefferson  an  unex- 
pected honor.  In  a  bill  which  was  intended  to  prescribe 
American  statesmen  were  the  names  of  Samuel  Adams, 
John  Hancock,  John  Adams,  Peyton  Randolph,  Patrick 
Henry,  and  Thomas  Jefferson,  who  was  a  young  man  to  be 
enrolled  with  such  men  as  these. 


DECLARATION  OP  INDEPENDENCE  181 

Jefferson  no  longer  reasoned  and  argued — he  saw.  The 
people  owned  the  world,  and  kings,  save  by  the  people's 
permission,  were  of  the  same  blood  as  other  men.  The  blood 
of  George  III  was  no  more  royal  than  the  humblest  elector 
who  permitted  him  to  govern,  and  young  Jefferson  seems 
to  have  thought  that  he  could  bring  the  old  King  to  see 
this.    But  the  King  had  no  eyes  for  such  a  vision. 

Jefferson  was  learning  to  write  strong  sentences;  his 
rhetoric  was  improving.  It  needed  correcting.  But  it  is 
easier  to  correct  than  to  create. 

Jefferson  had  not  studied  the  poets  from  Homer  to 
Ossian  in  vain.  He  had  learned  to  form  words  that  light- 
ened. The  electric  rhetoric  of  Ossian  is  not  much  studied 
now,  but  we  are  not  sure  that  it  would  not  be  a  suggestive 
study  to  one  who  would  clothe  ideas  with  power. 

The  colonies  needed  a  ready  writer — one  who  could  give 
the  very  soul  of  thoughts  to  public  documents;  one  who 
could  tell  the  world  in  a  manner  that  all  people  could 
see  and  be  made  to  feel,  why  America  took  up  arms  in 
defense  of  her  rights. 

Dabney  Carr  had  been  an  orator  and  Patrick  Henry 
could  speak  and  write  in  lightning  strokes.  They  could 
make  a  few  words  tell. 

Jefferson  entered  the  Continental  Congress  in  1775,  and 
sat  down  among  "  sixty  gentlemen  in  silk  stockings  and  pig- 
tails." They  were  chiefly  middle-aged  men.  Benjamin 
Franklin  was  seventy-one  years  old;  others  were  past  fifty. 

There  was  one  "  timid  gentleman  "  among  them.  He 
seems  to  have  feared  that  he  might  be  hanged.  He  was 
a  wise,  prudent,  good  man,  but  one  of  those  who  say 
"  Don't."    His  name  was  John  Dickinson. 


1S2  EN   THE   DAYS  OF  JEFFERSON 

"  Johnny,'1  his  mother  used  to  say  to  him,  "  you  will 
be  hanged;  your  estate  will  be  confiscated;  von  will  leave 
your  wife  a  widow  and  your  children  orphans." 

Thus  terrorized  the  prudent  and  slow-moving  man 
went  forth  into  the  political  world,  where  every  step  was 
peril. 

On  the  day  that  young  Jefferson  took  his  place  in 
the  Continental  Congress  a  courier  came  flying  into  the 
town.  Men  stopped  in  apprehension  on  the  streets  as 
they  saw  his  flying  form,  and  cried,  "  What  has  hap- 
pened \  " 

"  There  has  been  a  battle  at  Bunker  Hill — at  Boston 
town!  More  than  a  thousand  redcoats  have  been  killed 
or  wounded! 

This  was  thrilling  news  indeed.  It  probably  made  John 
Dickinson  recall  his  mother's  words. 

"  Thirteen  officers  have  been  killed  and  severely 
wounded! " 

The  sixty  gentlemen  in  ruffles  and  velvets  faced  a  fact 
immediately  on  the  arrival  of  the  courier.  They  must  pub- 
lish a  statement  to  the  world  setting  forth  the  reasons  why 
the  colonies  had  taken  up  arms.  The  words  of  that  state- 
ment, they  reflected,  should  be  the  best  in  the  language; 
they  should  be  hammer  strokes.  They  began  to  look  about 
for  one  to  write  such  a  paper. 

They  selected  several  writers,  but  these  refused  or  ex- 
hibited inadequate  work.  Then  their  choice  fell  upon  young 
farmer  Jefferson,  whose  heart  had  gone  over  from  velvets 
and  ruffles  t«">  the  plain  people. 

In  this  effort  probably  came  to  him  the  first  suggestion 
of  the  immortal  words  that  appeared  a  year  later  in  the 


DECLARATION  OF  INDEPENDENCE 


188 


Declaration  of  Independence,  "  a  decent  respect  for  the 
opinions  of  mankind."  He  prepared  his  paper.  On  the 
committee  to  secure  this  momentous  document  was  good 
old  John  Dickinson,  who  had  the  wisdom  of  restraint,  and 
who  could  foresee  what  is  too  much  in  legislation.  Such 
men  are  useful  in  legislation. 

He    read    young    Jefferson's    paper.      The    figures    of 
rhetoric  in  it  glowed,  the  words  went  direct  to  the  imagi- 
nation.    The  timid  man,  to  whom  his 
mother  had  said,  "  Johnny,  you  will 
be  hanged,"  sat  terrified  before  the 
lava  stream  and  said  "  Don't." 

The  committee  desired  to  secure 
the  force  of  Jefferson's  words  and 
thought,  so  they  invited  cautious 
John  Dickinson  to  revise  the  paper. 

This  the  timid  man  did  with  pru- 
dence and  conscience.  But  he  re- 
tained some  of  the  telling  sentences 
from  Jefferson's  pen,  and  hung  them 
like  flowers  on  his  own  juiceless  stalk. 

In  this  document,  which  was  to  be  published  "  out  of 
a  decent  respect  for  the  opinions  of  mankind,"  was  one  para- 
graph which  said  nothing — but  suggested  everything— 
which  was  written  by  Jefferson,  and  which  the  prudent  re- 
viser retained.    It  read  as  follows : 

"  We  mean  not  to  dissolve  that  union  [1775]  which 
has  so  long  and  so  happily  existed  between  us,  and  which 
we  sincerely  wish  to  see  restored.  Necessity  has  not  yet 
driven  us  into  that  desperate  measure." 

"  Yet "  —  that    one    word,    so    aptly    placed,    brought 


y^5#^*£ 


S7&&&, 


184  IN   THE   DAYS   OF  JEFFERSON 

the  eye  of  every  reader  to  a  fixed  point  and  held  it 
there. 

These  words  were  written  about  July  4  to  6,  1775. 
About  the  same  period  the  next  year  young  farmer  Jef- 
ferson would  try  his  hand  at  rhetorical  statement  again. 
Thoughts  grow;  so  does  the  expression  of  them.  All  good 
work  in  literature  is  growth.  Goethe  began  Faust  in  the 
flower  of  his  youth  and  completed  it  after  he  was  eighty. 

"  The  great  purpose  of  life,"  said  Margaret  Fuller,  "  is 
to  grow." 

The  flowers  were  growing  over  the  heart  of  Dabney 
Carr,  and  his  children  were  living  in  the  family  of  Jeffer- 
son, which  numbered  a  hundred  or  more  relatives  and 
servants,  but  the  principles  which  had  been  written  in  the 
heart  of  Dabney  Carr  were  growing  in  Jefferson's  mind. 

"  Not  yet,  but " 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

THE    WRITING    OF    THE    IMMORTAL    DECLARATION 

The  house  in  which  young  Jefferson  wrote  the  immortal 
Declaration  of  Independence,  a  declaration  of  the  universal 
rights  of  man,  was  at  250  High  Street,  afterward  700 
Market  Street,  Philadelphia,  or  on  the  southwest  corner 
of  Seventh  and  Market  Streets,  a  plain  three-story  brick 
building,  of  noble  appearance  and  of  real  character  in  its 
day,  though  humble  afterward  by  comparison. 

Mr.  Jefferson  was  now  thirty-three  years  of  age  and 
full  of  the  spirit  of  those  themes  that  he  had  so  often  dis- 
cussed in  the  Virginia  woods  with  the  beloved  Dabney  Carr. 
He  had  yielded  almost  entirely  to  the  noble  lessons  so 
persistently  taught  him  by  his  young  friend,  whose  eye 
saw  what  republican  liberty  might  be.  He  had  put  off  his 
velvets,  his  laces,  his  ruffles,  for  the  gray  suit  of  the  farmer. 
Farmer  Jefferson  he  was,  and  such  he  delighted  to  be 
called. 

He  believed  that  a  virtuous  poor  man  was  as  good  as 
a  virtuous  rich  man,  and  that  the  only  true  aristocracy  was 
that  of  worth. 

How  often  had  he  heard  Dabney  Carr  preach  those  doc- 
trines when  he  himself  wore  ruffles! 

He  had  been  asked  to  prepare  a  paper  that  should  sepa- 

185 


186 


IN  THE  DAYS  OF  JEFFEKSON 


rate  America  from  the  Old  World  and  change  the  govern- 
ment of  a  king  to  the  government  of  the  people. 

The  charge  must  have  haunted  him  day  and  night. 
He  sought  a  place  where  he  could  think  alone. 
There  was  a  new  brick  house  in  Philadelphia  occupied 
by  a  Mr.  Gratz  (Graff),  a  young  German,  newly  married. 
The  house  stood  somewhat  by  itself. 

At  this  time  when  the  subject  of  the  Declaration  was 
filling  his  mind,  when  he  was  see- 
ing, as  it  were,  the  "  pattern  on 
the  mount,"  he  applied  to  the 
young  German  for  rooms. 

"  I  will  rent  you  the  whole 
of  the  second  floor,"  said  Mr. 
Gratz,  "  for  thirty-five  shillings 
per  week." 

Mr.  Jefferson  accepted  the 
terms,  and  the  new  brick  house 
was  to  be  made  immortal  as  the 
Declaration  House.  He  entered 
these  apartments  May  23,  1776. 
Here  was  a  desk,  now  the  property  of  the  United  States. 
At  that  desk  the  writer  of  the  new  Magna  Charta  sat  at 
his  papers,  as  we  may  believe,  during  the  long  June  days, 
with  open  windows,  the  trees  without  alive  with  the  songs 
of  happy  birds.  To  the  parlor  of  his  house,  now  removed, 
Jefferson  returned  one  June  day  with  a  great  commission. 
It  was  to  embody  in  the  form  of  a  state  paper  a  declara- 
tion which  should  voice  the  soul  of  the  people.  To  this 
work  he  gave  himself  in  the  last  days  of  June — in  the  long- 
est days  of  the  year.    The  history  of  this  work  is  as  follows: 


■^ 


njt^mM/yi^^^ 


THE  WRITING  OF   THE  IMMORTAL  DECLARATION   187 

All  the  month  of  June  the  subject  of  the  Declaration 
had  been  growing  in  the  young  Virginian's  mind.  How  he 
would  have  conversed  with  Dabney  Carr  at  this  time  could 
the  latter  have  been  with  him! 

On  June  7,  1776,  it  was  moved  in  the  American  Con- 
gress, through  the  delegates  from  Virginia,  that  Congress 
should  declare  that  these  United  Colonies  are,  and  of  a  right 
ought  to  be,  "  free  and  independent  states."  The  subject 
was  debated  in  Congress  June  8th  and  10th. 

On  June  11th  a  committee  was  appointed  to  prepare  a 
formal  Declaration.  The  committee  consisted  of  John 
Adams,  Dr.  Franklin,  Roger  Sherman,  Robert  R  Living- 
ston, and  Thomas  Jefferson. 

"  Jefferson  knows  how  to  put  thoughts  into  words,"  was 
the  view  of  the  committee.  "  Let  him  write  the  Declara- 
tion." 

But  Jefferson  had  thoughts  of  his  own  that  struggled 
for  utterance,  such  as  he  had  shared  with  Dabney  Carr. 
He  resolved  to  preface  the  Declaration  with  these 
thoughts,  which  belonged  to  all  truth,  all  time,  and  all 
mankind. 

He  had  been  made  to  see  the  equal  birthright  of  men 
of  worth.    This  thought  must  lead  all  the  rest. 

In  the  quiet  of  the  upper  room  he  sat  down  and  wrote 
on  paper  what  was  afterward  written  on  parchment. 

The  great  idea  of  his  young  life  came  to  him.  How 
should  he  express  it?  What  would  his  old  model  Peyton 
write?  The  language  came  to  him,  the  words  began  with 
a  stately  march  up  to  a  sentence  which  seems  destined  to 
emancipate  the  world: 

"  When  in  the  course  of  human  events,  etc. " 


188 


IN   THE   DAYS   OF   JEFFERSON 


Then  the  monumental  words  that  clothed  the  immortal 
idea  leaped  forth: 

"  We  hold  these  truths  to  be  self-evident :  That  all  men 
are  created  equal;  that  they  are  endowed  by  their  Creator 
with  certain  unalienable  rights;  that  among  these  are  life, 
liberty,  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness.  That  to  secure  these 
rights,  governments  are  instituted  among  men,  deriving 
their  just  powers  from  the  consent  of  the  governed." 

Did  he  dream  of  the  companionship  he  had  shared  with 
Dabney  Carr  amid  the  lindens,  laurels,  and  wild  grapes  of 

the  Virginia  woods  as  he  penned 
these  eternal  lines  to  be  the  hope 
of  mankind? 

Had  he  written  nothing  but 
this  preamble  he  would  have 
earned  a  place  beside  Phocion, 
Pericles,  the  Gracchi,  the  Scipios, 
with  Alfred  the  Great,  Simon 
de  Montfort,  and  Robinson  of 
Leyden. 

One  day  in  June  four  notable 
people  assembled  in  young  Jef- 
ferson's upper  room  to  hear  the  new  Alcibiades  read  what 
he  had  written.  They  were  Benjamin  Franklin,  John 
Adams,  Roger  Sherman,  and  Robert  R  Livingston.  They 
came  in  courtly  dress  and  with  like  manners. 

Young  Jefferson  unrolled  the  paper.  Would  the  young 
Virginia  farmer  do  justice  to  so  momentous  an  occasion? 
He  unrolled  the  paper,  and  the  statesmen  listened.  How 
must  their  hearts  have  thrilled  as  the  words  that  followed, 
"  When  in  the  course  of  human  events,"  fell  upon  their  ears! 


THE   WRITING   OP   THE   IMMORTAL   DECLARATION  189 

Jefferson  expressed  in  his  original  paper  his  abhorrence 
of  slavery  in  all  its  forms.  These  burning  words  were  modi- 
fied by  the  committee.  The  corrected  Declaration  was 
adopted  in  Congress  on  July  4,  1776,  and  was  proclaimed 
by  the  Liberty  Bell  to  the  people.  It  was  signed  on  July 
4  and  August  2,  1770. 

There  stood  on  a  square  in  Philadelphia  a  platform  that 
had  been  erected  for  the  purpose  of  a  telescopic  study  of 
the  transit  of  Venus. 

To  this,  on  the  following  day,  the  Declaration  was  car- 
ried to  be  read.  It  was  not  known  at  that  time  that  young 
Jefferson  was  the  principal  author  of  that  immortal  docu- 
ment. 

The  people  assembled  to  hear  the  Declaration  for  which 
the  people's  delegates  had  voted,  and  which  some  of  the 
delegates  had  signed. 

It  was  a  fiery  July  day.  The  flag  of  the  United  States 
colonies  floated  here  and  there.  The  bell  over  Independ- 
ence Hall  would  have  again  pealed  in  the  air,  but  it  was 
cracked. 

The  orator  mounted  the  platform,  and  his  voice  rang 
out  over  the  multitude. 

"  '  When  in  the  course  of  human  events '  ' 

At  the  words  "  all  men  are  created  equal "  the  people 
felt  that  a  new  era  had  come,  a  new  world  begun. 

It  was  carried  forth  by  couriers  to  ISTew  York  and  Bos- 
ton. These  couriers  rushed  over  the  highways  and  cross- 
ways  as  thrilled  with  joy.     Bells  rang,  cannon  were  fired. 

A  great  assembly  filled  the  front  of  the  Statehouse, 
Boston,  now  the  Old  Statehouse.  The  Declaration  was 
read  from  the  window  over  the  west  end  door.     The  words 


190  EN   THE    DAYS   OP   JEFFERSON 

"  unalienable  rights  "  were  a  new  sound,  but  not  a  new 
gospel  to  the  Boston  people. 

The  question  arose  everywhere,  "  Who  wrote  that  pre- 
amble I  "  A  heart  was  in  it.  a  divinely  guided  soul.  Who 
had  so  seized  upon  a  pen  from  heaven '. 

The  cold  answer  was  "  The  committee."  But  com- 
mittees do  not  write  like  that.  Inspiration  is  not  made, 
molded  in  a  social  machine. 

The  Declaration  set  the  bells  to  ringing  everywhere, 
but  the  preamble  did  more — it  made  men's  hearts  beat  as 
never  before. 

The  Sir  Knight  heard  them  ringing,  and  his  heart 
quickened. 

• '  The  whole  of  America  must  be  free ! " 

He  would  intrust  to  the  author  of  this  charter  from 
heaven  a  golden  horseshoe.  The  star  of  his  ideal  was  ris- 
ing now.  He  knew  not  then  that  he  had  already  made  the 
award. 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

"  WHO    SHALL    IT    BE?" 

Jefferson  became  Governor  of  Virginia.  He  occupied 
the  "  palace  "  now  and  sat  on  the  once  vice-royal  chair  of 
Governor  Fauquier,  and  stood  in  the  succession  of  good  Gov- 
ernor Spotswood. 

A  little  time  after  his  election  there  rode  up  the  moun- 
tain to  Monticello  the  old  man  who  had  met  him  there 
before,  the  Sir  Knight  of  the  Golden  Horseshoe. 

The  Governor  greeted  him  heartily  and  he  became  his 
guest.  In  the  afternoon  Ginseng  appeared  on  the  mountain 
farm  and  greeted  the  Governor. 

"  It  does  my  heart  good  to  see  you  come  to  honor,"  he 
said.  "  You  chief  now — I  follow,  follow  you — follow  you 
for  good,  to  keep  you  from  the  wind's  will,  the  water's  will, 
the  will  of  danger.  I  love  to  follow  you,  still,  still,  through 
the  covered  ways;  it  does  my  heart  good.  It  does  me  good; 
it  does  you  good." 

Jefferson  loved  expressions  of  sympathy  from  the  chil- 
dren of  Xature — from  all,  rich  or  poor,  who  loved  him  for 
himself. 

That  evening  they  had  a  family  singing  in  the  great 
room.  These  social  singings  were  always  among  the  de- 
lights of  Monticello. 

191 


192  CN   THE   DAYS  OF  JEFFERSON 

Ginseng  reclined  on  a  braided  mat  in  the  outer  room 
before  the  open  fire. 

When  the  family  singing  was  over,  the  old  Knight  of 
the  Golden  Horseshoe  began  to  talk  on  his  favorite  theme. 

■'  You  are  Governor,"  he  said.  "  You  have  power,  and 
the  time  has  come  for  you  to  send  a  troop  into  the  river 
lands.  I  have  but  one  wish  in  my  old  age;  it  is  to  see  you 
follow  the  steps  of  Governor  Spotswood." 

"  All  you  say  is  in  my  heart,"  said  Jefferson.  "  But 
Ave  will  need  all  of  our  men  now,  all  of  our  thoughts  and 
energies  for  the  contest  for  human  liberty.  If  I  could  I 
would  explore  the  great  lands  of  the  Mississippi;  they  are 
not  our  own.     Europe  dominates  them." 

"  Governor  Jefferson,  what  a  great  thing  it  would  be  for 
this  nation,  if  we  could  conquer  the  river  lands." 

"  We  have  one  war  on  our  hands  now.  "What  a  grand 
and  noble  destiny  it  would  be  if  we  could  maintain  our 
independence  and  then  purchase  the  river  lands  of  the  great 
Louisiana  and  explore  them!  " 

"  That  is  a  dream  too  high  for  any  man  to  cherish." 

"  But  my  study  of  ideals  is  that  they  change  into  real- 
ities. I  have  hopes  that  we  will  not  only  become  an  inde- 
pendent nation,  but  a  glorious  one,  and  that  we  will  be  able 
-  cure  all  the  territory  from  ocean  to  ocean." 

"  When,  Governor,  when?  " 

"  "VThen  France  and  Spain  shall  need  money.  Sir 
Knight,  that  day  will  come." 

"  I  see,  I  see,  I  see  with  your  eyes.  If  we  gain  our 
independence  the  day  will  come  when  France  and  Spain 
will  need  money.  Then  the  States  will  purchase  the  vast 
TVest  and  you — you,  Governor,  will  shoe  your  horses  and 


"WHO   SHALL   IT   BE?"  193 

follow  the  steps  of  Governor  Spotswood.  It  is  you  who  are 
to  make  the  great  legend  of  Virginia  true.  Thus  we  swear 
to  cross  the  mountains." 

Ginseng  lay  in  the  living  room  by  the  spark-emitting 
fire.  He  traveled  into  the  Alleghanies  in  search  of  the 
precious  ginseng.  The  herb  was  held  to  be  miraculous  in 
its  effects  in  America  then,  as  well  as  in  superstitious  China. 

He  knew  the  import  of  the  conversation,  and  he  sud- 
denly started  up  and  stood  at  the  door  between  the  great 
room  and  the  living  room. 

"  I  will  follow  you  when  you  cross  the  mountain,"  said 
he.  "  I  will  follow  you  unseen,  like  the  forms  in  Ossian, 
out  of  sight,  out  of  your  mind,  I  will  follow  you." 

"  It  is  in  the  air,"  said  the  old  Sir  Knight.  "  Even  the 
Indian  has  caught  the  spirit  of  it.  Governor  Jefferson,  Vir- 
ginia must  fulfill  the  dream  of  Governor  Spotswood.  You 
must  make  solemn  oaths  that  you  will  cross  the  mountains 
when  peace  shall  come.  The  ideal  of  the  Golden  Horse- 
shoe must  be  fulfilled  before  America  can  be  herself.  I 
am  like  a  falling  leaf;  there  may  be  a  higher  office  than 
governor  in  the  colonies,  and  you  may  fill  it." 

"  A  king?  " 

"  No,  not  a  king,  but  the  whole  people  will  need  one 
man  to  execute  their  will.  But  whatever  you  may  become, 
you  will  be  true  to  the  suggestion  I  leave  with  you — Elder 
Leland  would  call  it  '  the  pattern  seen  on  the  mount  of 
vision.'  " 

Then  Jefferson  told  the  old  Knight  that  it  was  he  who 
had  written  the  Declaration. 

Jefferson  had  been  helped  in  one  of  his  ideals  by  Dab- 
ney  Carr.     He  would  be  helped  in  another  by  the  Golden 


194  ™   THE   DAYS   OF   JEFFERSON 

1 1     seshoe  and  its  legend,   "  Thus  we  swear  to  cross  the 
mountains." 

The  suggestion  was  a  living  thing  to  him,  but  how  he 
would  be  an  influence  in  adding  an  empire  to  the  colonies 
now  engaged  in  the  struggle  to  maintain  the  principles  of 
which  he  had  been  the  pen  he  could  not  see. 

Before  a  strong  purpose  the  gate  of  opportunity  opens, 
and  a  purpose  will  live  and  can  wait  in  the  dark.  If  the 
colonies  of  the  West  should  gain  their  liberties,  the  rivers 
of  the  West  must  be  free,  and  peace  was  the  glorious  way 
to  this  freedom.  The  Sir  Knight  of  the  Golden  Horseshoe 
believed  that  somehow  the  ideal  of  Governor  Spotswood  was 
living  in  the  new  Governor  of  free  Virginia.  It  was.  It 
is  our  purpose  to  show  the  way  the  greater  America  was 
coming  through  him  whose  pen  wrote  the  immortal  pre- 
amble. 

'•  The  whole  of  America  must  be  free, 
And  her  bounds  extend  from  sea  to  sea." 


CHAPTER  XXX 

"  TROOPERS,    TROOPERS!" 

AVhile  Jefferson  was  Governor  of  Virginia  Tarleton  in- 
vaded the  State.  There  were  stirring  events  at  Monticello. 
AVe  must  tell  you  of  some  of  them,  such  as  seem  to  us  to  best 
picture  the  times. 

"  The  enemy  are  coming!     Troopers,  troopers!  " 

So  exclaimed  a  swift  rider  as  he  tumbled  from  a  foam- 
ing horse  before  the  portico  of  Monticello. 

It  was  a  hot  morning,  June  4,  1781.  The  sun  was  rising 
red  over  the  far  hills  and  forests;  the  birds  were  singing 
in  the  dewy  trees  and  the  meadows  and  fields  hung  with 
a  heavy  weight  of  dew. 

The  family  were  rising.  They  heard  the  cry  of  "  Troop- 
ers, troopers!  "  and  the  house  was  filled  with  alarm  and  con- 
fusion. 

The  tall  form  of  Governor  Jefferson  appeared  on  the 
portico. 

The  rider  cried  out  in  thrilling  tones: 

"  Tarleton's  troopers!  They  are  on  the  way — they  are 
after  you — they  will  ruin  Monticello!  " 

"  Jouritte,"  said  Jefferson,  "  whence  came  you?  " 

"  From  the  tavern  in  Louisa.  I  stopped  there  last  night, 
when  Tarleton's  men  came  in.  They  are  resting  there. 
14  195 


1^6  IN   THE  DAYS  OF   JEFFERSON 

They  are  to  strike  Monticello  to-day.  I  heard  one  of  them 
say:  '  We  will  surprise  and  capture  the  Governor.'  Then 
I  saddled  my  horse  and  rode  up  here  by  the  old  trail  in  the 
woods.     You  must  escape." 

"  Have  I  time  to  pack  my  valuables  \  " 

"  The  troopers  can  not  be  here  for  two  hours,  and  they 
may  go  to  the  village  first.  They  were  to  eat  and  rest  and 
come  by  the  main  road;  they  can  know  nothing  of  the  cross- 
way."' 

"  How  many  are  there  in  the  troop? " 

"  Two  hundred  and  fifty." 

The  people  of  the  household  gathered  with  anxious  and 
distressed  faces  about  the  door. 

"  Who  will  stand  by  me  now  and  risk  everything?  " 
asked  the  Governor. 

"  I!  I — everything  for  Massa  Jefferson!  "  cried  Csesar, 
a  slave. 

••  I!  i:  "*  echoed  Martin,  a  lusty  negro.  "  My  life  is  at 
your  order,  everything!  " 

The  Governor  looked  around  him.  The  sun  was  blazing 
over  the  hills.  Two  hours  was  a  short  time  for  what  was 
to  be  done. 

"  I  must  have  a  runner,"  said  Jefferson.  "  Go,"  he  said 
to  a  member  of  his  family,  "  give  my  papers  to  the  negro 
runner:  he  will  know  where  to  place  them.  I  can  trust  him 
like  my  own  heart.     I  can  trust  you  all." 

"Anything,  anything!"  cried  the  servants,  who  held 
the  interests  of  their  master  as  dear  to  them  as  their  own 
lives. 

"  Tarleton  may  strike  Charlotteville  first,"  said  Jouritte, 
who  had  brought  the  alarm.     "  I  must  ride  for  the  village." 


"TROOPERS,  TROOPERS!"  197 

He  waved  his  hat  and  rode  down  the  hill  toward  the  village, 
which  was  to  be  clearly  seen  from  the  top  of  Monticello. 

Strange  as  it  may  seem,  the  Governor  ordered  the  house- 
hold to  eat  their  breakfast.  His  mind  planned  while  he 
ate.  He  then  summoned  his  two  faithful  slaves,  Csesar  and 
Martin. 

"  We  must  hide  the  plate  and  the  valuables,"  he  said. 

"  Where?     In  the  swamp?  "  came  the  answer. 

"  No,  here  under  the  portico.    Tear  up  the  long  plank." 

The  plank  came  up.  Csesar  crept  under  it,  and,  lying  on 
his  side,  as  in  a  grave,  for  the  space  was  narrow,  called: 

"  Hurry  the  plate,  and  I  will  hide  them  in  the  chinks 
of  the  foundation  wall.  Hurry,  hurry!  I  can't  stant  it 
here  long;  it  is  just  like  being  buried — I  can't  breathe — 
hurry!  Pick  up  your  feet  lively  now!  It  is  stifling  here; 
a  person  couldn't  live  here — long.    It  is  an  oven !  " 

He  lifted  his  head  above  the  board  to  breathe  while 
Martin  "  picked  up  his  feet  lively." 

The  latter  hurried  the  plate  to  the  portico,  and  Csesar 
hid  the  pieces  in  the  wall.  At  times  he  popped  up  his  head, 
saying : 

"  I'm  snufficated.  I  can't  stand  this  much  longer.  Pick 
up  your  feet  lively,  Martin!  " 

The  plate  and  valuables  were  hurried  to  the  opening 
with  all  possible  speed.  The  servants  ran  to  and  fro,  bring- 
ing treasures  faster  than  the  perspiring  Csesar  could  hide 
them  away. 

"I'm  snufficating,  I  am  for  sure!  "  said  Csesar  at  last. 
"  Every  bone  in  me  aches,  and  the  sweat  rolls  off  of  me 
like  rain,  and  it  is  hotter  and  hotter.  Hurry,  hurry,  or  I 
will  just  give  one  kick  and  die.    For  de  Lord's  sake,  hurry!  " 


198  IN  THE   DAYS   OF  JEFFERSON 


"  Whoop,"   cried  Martin,   "  and  they   are   coming  for 


sure 


!  " 


"  Put  down  the  plank!  "  said  one  of  the  family. 
"  Quick,  quick,  or  they  will  discover  all!  " 

Martin  turned  the  plank  quickly,  for  he  saw  the  plumes 
of  the  troopers  dancing  among  the  trees.  In  doing  so  he 
fastened  Caesar  down.  A  great  groan  arose  from  the  cavity 
under  the  portico. 

"  For  de  Lord's  sake,  I'm  dead  now  plump  sure,  but 
never  mind  me.    I'm  a  dead  negro!  " 

"  Tish,"  said  Martin,  "  they're  here!  Hear  the  hoofs! 
Keep  still,  Caesar.  Be  dead.  There  are  a  lot  of  dead  folks, 
and  you  are  only  one  of  many." 

Martin  sat  down  on  the  plank  like  a  ceremonious  porter, 
but  began  to  fan  himself  with  a  brimmed  hat. 

An  officer  rode  up. 

"  You  black  rascal,  who  are  you,  sitting  there  in  the 
heat,  waving  a  fan  as  cool  as  an  hidalgo?  " 

"  I'm  de  porter,  sar." 

"  "Where  is  the  Governor?  " 

"  He  rode  away  somewhere  an  hour  ago." 

"Somewhere!     Where,  you  lazy  rascal — where?" 

"  I  do  not  know,  sar.  He  left  me  here  to  receive  any 
guests  who  might  call,  and  to  offer  my  services  to  them. 
What  can  I  do  for  you,  sar  ?  " 

"  Do  as  the  Governor  bid  you." 

"  He  told  me  to  sit  right  here,  sar." 

"  Well,  sit  there,  and  tell  the  men  to  search  the  house  as 
fast  as  they  come  here  from  their  horses.  But  first  show 
me  over  the  house." 

This   Martin   did.      WTien  the   officer  had  visited  the 


"TROOPERS,   TROOPERS!'*  19y 

library,  he  locked  the  room  and  gave  Martin  the  key  and 
said: 

"  Don't  give  it  up  to  any  one — say  I  command  it." 

'''  You  are  a  gentleman,  sir,"  said  Martin. 

Said  Martin  to  each  one  who  came: 

"  That  was  the  captain's  orders.  He  told  me  to  sit  here, 
and  tell  you  what  to  do." 

Each  one  asked:  "Where  is  the  Governor?" 

"  Vanished,  sar,"  was  the  bewildering  answer. 

Martin  longed  to  rescue  Caesar,  but  men  passed  over  the 
portico  in  and  out  continuously.  To  lift  the  plank  would 
be  to  discover  the  treasure. 

The  high  noon  came;  the  sun  blazed,  the  heat  was  still 
and  overpowering. 

Past  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  the  troopers  prepared 
to  go.  The  last  horse  disappeared  in  the  red  dawn  of  an- 
other morning.     Then  Martin  lifted  the  plank. 

Caesar  raised  his  head  into  the  cool,  dewy  air. 

"  'Fore  Gord,  I  never  expected  to  see  the  light  of  an- 
other mawnin'  on  dis  here  planet — I  never  did !  Help  me 
out,  for  my  bones  are  all  gone,  and  I  have  broken  the  clapper 
of  my  heart  in  trying  to  wheeze  for  de  last  time  in  this 
skittery  place." 

He  was  dragged  up  and  leaned  against  the  side  of  the 
mansion. 

"  And  here  I  am,  smart  as  peppergrass  again;  the  cocks 
crowing,  the  cattle  lowing,  and  the  Governor  shipped  awav, 
the  plate  and  valuables  all  as  safe  as  in  a  treasury,  the 
house  standing,  and  the  sun  coming  up  to  meet  me  over 
the  fair  and  beautiful  hills.  Good  mawnin',  O  thou  sun 
of  this  June  day!     Thou  didst  not  expect  to  find  Caesar 


IX   THE   DAYS   OF   JEFFERSON 

on  the  portico  when  thou  wentest  down  and  hid  thy  beams 
from  the  men  of  day.  I  hail  thee,  O  thou  that  rollest  above, 
round  as  the  shield  of  my  fathers!  " 

Ca?sar  had  heard  the  Governor  read  Ossian  on  the  same 
portico.  He  thought  the  poems  of  0=>sian  very  line.  All 
of  the  negroes  liked  to  listen  to  the  reading  of  Ossian  in  the 
cool  evenings,  as  the  family  sat  on  the  piazza. 

"When  the  Governor  returned  to  Montieello  he  found 
his  family,  his  faithful  servants,  and  his  house  there,  and 
he  heard  Martin  and  Caesar  tell  their  stories  in  a  breath- 
less v 

"  That  British  captain,'*  said  Martin,  "  was  a  gentle- 
man, sar,"  and  the  slave  gave  up  to  Jefferson  the  key  to 
the  library,  where  the  officer  supposed  the  valuables  of  the 
house  were  concealed. 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

A    KESTLESS    BOY 

There  was  bom  in  Charlotteville,  in  the  year  1774,  a 
very  extraordinary  lad,  who  was  destined  to  become  a  bosom 
friend  to  Thomas  Jefferson.  His  father  was  rich  and  of 
heroic  mold,  and  the  family  named  this  welcome  son  Meri- 
wether —  Meriwether  Lewis.  He  is  usually  spoken  of 
to-day  in  connection  with  one  of  his  intimate  friends,  as 
"  Lewis  and  Clark." 

He  had  a  restless  mind.  He  does  not  seem  to  have  cared 
for  money  or  fame;  he  wanted  to  see  the  world,  but  more 
than  all  else  to  understand  the  secrets  of  the  great  river 
system  of  America. 

He  preferred  the  farm  to  the  school,  and  Nature  to 
society. 

The  story  that  Selim  had  told  of  his  wanderings  from  the 
Mississippi  River  to  the  Blue  Ridge  thrilled  the  adventurous 
young  men  of  the  time.  So  did  the  example  of  the  Sir 
Knight,  or  the  "  sign."  Selim's  story  followed  the  tales  of 
the  Knights  of  the  Golden  Horseshoe. 

One  night  Meriwether  sat  by  the  fire  of  a  great  Vir- 
ginia farmhouse  with  his  young  companions. 

"  The  order  of  the  Golden  Horseshoe  should  be  revived," 
said  one  of  the  young  men.     "  If  Governor  Spotswood  made 

201 


EN  THE  DAYS  OP  JEFFERSON 

discoveries  in  a  short  expedition  that  has  filled  the  prov- 

-  with  wonder,  what  might  not  an  expedition  do 
that  would  go  back  over  the  trails  through  which  Selim 
came :  ' " 

Meriwether  arose  and  walked  the  room  in  a  nervous 
way,  as  though  absent-minded  and  dreaming. 

"'  What  might  not  an  expedition  du  that  would  follow 
the  rivers  to  the  north — to  the  northwest'  " 

He  stretched  out  his  arms. 

'"  War  is  upon  us,v  he  added.  "  The  war  hawks  are  in 
the  air,  but  whatever  comes  or  whatever  may  be,  there  lies 
a  greater  country  than  we  now  occupy,  which  has  never 
been  explored.  And  mark  you  here,  mark  you  there,  the 
man  who  explores  that  region  will  be  held  in  eternal  fame. 
My  feet  are  restless  to  go — they  tingle." 

"  It  would  be  likely  that  he  would  never  return,"  said 
another  of  his  comrades.     "  You  are  only  a  boy." 

Meriwether  stopped  in  his  nervous  movements,  and  a 
strange  light  came  into  his  e;    - 

'"  I  am  only  a  boy,  but  I  am  a  Virginia  boy.  What 
does  it  matter  how  or  when  one  goes  out  of  life,  when  he 
has  done  something  to  pay  him  for  living (  I  was  not 
born  to  be  a  scholar,  nor  an  orator.  I  was  born  to  go — go. 
There  are  people  who  are  born  to  break  new  ways  for  others 
to  follow.  A  new  order  of  the  Golden  Horseshoe  is  form- 
ing. The  old  Knight  is  forming  it:  he  is  giving  horses 
away.  Let  us  join  it.  What  would  Governor  Spotswood's 
ride  to  the  Alleghanies  be  to  a  canoe  journey  up  the  Mis- 
souri! The  Golden  Horseshoe  should  be  a  sign  to  us.  We 
should  make  an  expedition  to  Louisiana." 

He  seemed  to  see  the  future  in  a  vision. 


A  RESTLESS  BOY  203 

"Louisiana,  Louisiana!"  be  said.  "He  who  shall  ex- 
plore Louisiana  will  lead  mankind  into  a  new  world!  " 

The  boundaries  of  Louisiana  were  then  unknown.  They 
embraced  the  vast  territory  of  the  Mississippi  River  Valley, 
and  of  the  valleys  of  the  mighty  tributaries  of  the  Missis- 
sippi. When  Spain  held  these  territories,  which  were  once 
known  as  New  Orleans  and  the  Floridas,  she  did  not  know 
their  extent,  nor  did  France  when  the  latter  kingdom  came 
to  possess  them. 

The  restless  boy  Meriwether  Lewis  began  to  dream  of 
making  expeditions.  If  Selim  had  seen  such  wonders  in  the 
vast  forests  through  which  he  had  been  led,  what  might  not 
be  found  farther  north  in  the  plains  where  the  bison  roamed 
free  and  the  black  eagles  spotted  the  air. 

Meriwether  Lewis  was  a  lively  boy.  He  loved  to  live 
in  his  imagination.  But  these  haunting  dreams  that  made 
him  long  to  go — where  he  did  not  know,  but  to  go — were 
followed  by  mental  depression.  He  was  not  like  other  young 
men. 

"  The  Golden  Horseshoe  was  offered  as  a  legacy  from 
Governor  Spotswood  to  those  who  would  carry  forward  the 
explorations  into  the  wilderness  that  he  himself  had  begun," 
said  one  to  him. 

"  The  prize  was  offered  long  before  I  was  born,"  thought 
Meriwether,  "  but  it  was  meant  for  me." 

His  mother  must  have  watched  the  restlessness  of  his 
mind  with  apprehension,  and  have  felt  that  he  was  some- 
how destined  to  render  services  to  the  world  in  some  un- 
known manner,  but  in  that  in  which  the  suggestion  of  the 
Golden  Horseshoe  would  prove  a  potent  influence. 

Meriwether  grew  to  manhood,  but  the  desire  to  know 


204  IN   THE   DAYS   OF  JEFFERSON 

the  secrets  of  the  great  river  countries  increased  with  his 
years.  He  saw  others  going  into  political  life,  but  to  him 
to  be  a  farmer,  to  own,  as  it  were,  the  freedom  to  enjoy  Xa- 
ture,  the  passing  seasons,  all  the  sun  had  to  bring  by  day 
and  the  stars  by  night,  was  the  greatest  of  all  blessings.  The 
spring  to  him,  with  its  blossoms  and  birds,  was  Demeter 
awaking. 

Like  Jefferson,  and  like  Dabney  Carr,  when  the  latter 
was  living,  he  loved  to  go  with  friends  into  the  woods.  The 
rocks  were  altars,  and  the  giant  trees  sanctuaries  to  them. 

One  day  he  had  roamed  into  a  great  and  solitary  stretch 
of  woods,  and  thrown  himself  down  on  the  moss  amid  the 
partridge  berries.  Magnolias  loomed  in  glistening  clouds 
in  the  burning  air.  Below  the  place  under  the  tret-  a 
brook  flowed,  or  ran  amid  patches  of  laurel. 

He  was  thinking  after  the  manner  that  Patrick  Henry 
used  to  think  in  the  woods,  but  not  of  the  same  things. 

There  was  a  patch  of  sunlight  at  a  little  distance:  a 
natural  clearing  into  which  opened  a  narrow  woodway,  amid 
flaming  dogwood  and  odorous  pines. 

A  shadow  came  into  the  bright  space.  Meriwether 
started  up.  The  shadow  was  a  form — a  human  form.  Meri- 
wether gasped: 

"SeW" 

The  form  sunk  down  beside  him  on  the  ginseng,  and 
said: 

"  Oh,  my  head!    I  am  glad  to  find  a  human  heart.*' 

He  talked  good  English  now,  and  he  remembered  all 
his  life. 

"  Selim,"  said  Meriwether,  "  like  troubles  make  brothers 
of  hearts.      My  head   troubles   me.      I   want   to   wander. 


A   RESTLESS  BOY 


205 


wander,  but  I  would  do  it  for  some  good.     I  wish  to  wander 

into  the  unknown  country — the  great  river  country.     But 

my  friends  say  that  I  am  a  little  touched  in  mind." 

"  Selim,  too,  would  like  to  go  back  into  the  great  river 

country.     You  go  wander,  and  wander,  and  come  back  and 

tell  the  world  what  you  have  seen,  and  then  let  Selim  go 

with  you.     Selim  has  a  faithful  heart." 

"  I  know  that  Selim  has  a  faithful  heart,"  said  Meri- 
wether, "  and  to  be  true-hearted  is 

more  than  any  other  thing  in  life. 

A  man  may  have  as  many  professed 

friends  as  an  old  Roman  emperor, 

and  yet  his  world  be  bounded  by  a 

few  friends  whose  hearts  are  true 

to  him.     Selim  went  out  from  his 

own  doors  to  be  true  to  Him  whose 

cross  was  true  to  the  world.     Selim 

loved  this  book." 

He  took  out  of  his  pocket  an 

old  leather-covered  Greek  Bible. 

"  This  book  teaches  that  there  is  a  higher  law  which  is 
eternal  life.  Selim  has  eternal  life.  This  book  says:  'If 
any  man  keep  my  saying  he  shall  never  see  death.'  Selim 
will  never  see  death.  Death  passed  when  Selim  came  to 
know  the  power  of  the  divine  consciousness.  Selim  had  been 
fed  by  ravens  in  the  wood.  There  are  hearts  that  are  true 
everywhere.     Let  Selim  tell  you  a  story." 

He  was  about  to  begin  a  story  to  illustrate  his  views 
when  there  was  heard  the  sound  of  horses'  hoofs  in  the 
trail  that  ran  past  the  great  natural  colonnades  of  trees. 
"Hist!"  said  Selim.     "It  is  the  Governor — Governor 


c&Ce^?Tsl-Ctf 


203 


IX   THE   DAYS   OF  JEFFERSON 


Jefferson.     Look  at  him,  in  his  gray  suit  now.     How  that 
young  man  has  changed!  " 

AVith  Jefferson  rode  an  old  man.     It  was  the  Sir  Knight. 
Meriwether  had  known  Jefferson  from  a   little  child. 
He  rose  and  greeted  him. 

"  You  like  to  travel  about,  my  lad,"  said  the  graceful 
rider.  "  You  may  become  a  traveler — my  friend  here  ought 
to  know  you.       He  has  golden  horseshoes  for  those  who 

would  travel.  Perhaps  —  par- 
don the  suggestion — perhaps  he 
will  give  you  one  some  day." 

"  He  is  too  young,"  said  the 
old  man. 

"  Pardon  me,"  said  Meri- 
wether, "  perhaps  I  may  some 
day  earn  a  golden  horseshoe." 

"  I  have  given  away  only 
three  so  far."  said  the  old  man. 
He  rode  along,  saying: 

'Her  bounds  must  extend  from  sea  to 
sea." 


^L* 


M*- 


He  repeated  his  little  poem  wherever  he  went,  as  Selim 
said  "  God  save  ye!  "  to  whoever  he  met. 

He  had  given  away  three  golden  horseshoes. 

Great  events  were  occurring  not  only  in  Virginia  now, 
and  on  the  battlefields  of  the  Revolution,  but  in  the  Indian 
countries.  George  Rogers  Clark,  a  friend  of  Jefferson,  was 
given  the  commission  to  restrain  the  Indian  tribes.  In  doing 
this  he  was  opening  a  new  country,  which  became  very 
interesting.  Let  us  repeat  some  of  the  stories  of  this  border 
countrv. 


CHAPTER  XXXII 

THE    INDIAN    IX    THE    CHIMNEY 

In  the  midst  of  these  rising  struggles  for  liberty — lead- 
ing no  one  knew  whither  at  this  time — there  occurred  a 
border  tragedy  which  became,  like  the  story  of  Elizabeth 
Zane  and  of  Lord  Dunmore's  Magazine,  one  of  the  fireside 
traditions  of  the  Old  Dominion. 

In  1774  a  battle  took  place  between  the  Virginians  and 
the  Indians  on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio  River.  It  left  a  very 
bitter  feeling  between  the  settlers  and  the  Indians  on  the 
border. 

The  Indians  were  fighting  for  the  lands  of  their  fore- 
fathers and  the  settlers  for  their  homes  and  children,  and 
each  at  last  came  to  strive  for  the  destruction  of  the  other. 
Those  were  the  dark  days  of  revenge. 

When  war  seemed  impending  between  the  Indians  and 
the  colonies  certain  English  agents  inflamed  the  Indians  in 
the  river  countries  with  a  sense  of  their  wrongs.  "War  waged 
along  the  border.  The  settlers  had  no  rest;  they  knew  not 
when  they  might  hear  the  sound  of  the  war  whoop. 

Lord  Dunmore  was  Governor  of  Virginia  then,  and  he 
was  suspected  of  holding  secret  conferences  with  the  In- 
dians in  the  interest  of  the  English  against  the  colonies. 

One  of  the  great  Indian  warriors  was  Cornstalk.     He 

207 


208  EN   THE  DAYS   OF  JEFFERSON 

fought  against  the  settlers,  and  offered  tlieni  peace.  He 
and  Logan,  another  Indian  chief,  made  some  very  eloquent 
speeches  at  this  time  recounting  their  wrongs. 

Said  Logan,  after  an  English  interpretation: 

"  1  appeal  to  any  white  to  say,  if  ever  he  entered  Logan's 
cabin  hungry,  and  he  gave  him  not  meat;  if  ever  he  came 
cold  and  naked,  and  he  clothed  him  not. 

"  During  the  course  of  the  last  long  bloody  war  Logan 
remained  idle  in  his  cabin,  an  advocate  for  peace.  Such 
was  my  love  for  the  whites  that  my  countrymen  pointed 
as  they  passed,  and  said,  '  Logan  is  the  friend  of  white  men.' 

"  I  had  even  thought  to  have  lived  with  you,  but  for 
the  injuries  of  one  man.  Colonel  Cresap  the  last  spring, 
in  cold  blood  and  unprovoked,  murdered  all  the  relations 
of  Logan;  not  even  sparing  my  women  and  children. 

"  There  runs  not  a  drop  of  my  blood  in  the  veins  of  any 
living  creature.  This  called  on  me  for  revenge.  I  have 
sought  it.  I  have  killed  many.  I  have  fully  glutted  my 
vengeance.  For  my  country,  I  rejoice  at  the  beams  of 
peace.  But  do  not  harbor  a  thought  that  mine  is  the  joy  of 
fear.  Logan  never  felt  fear.  He  will  not  turn  on  his  heel 
to  save  his  life.  "Who  is  there  to  mourn  for  Logan?  Not 
one!  " 

In  1779  Cornstalk  and  Redhawk,  another  chief,  re- 
solved to  visit  the  colonists  at  their  new  fort  at  Point  Pleas- 
ant. It  was  intended  to  be  a  friendly  visit,  but  it  awakened 
among  the  English  the  suspicion  that  they  were  spies. 

"  I  am  friendly  to  the  settlers,"  said  the  former,  "  and 
my  coming  is  peace.  My  own  people,  the  Shawnees,  turn 
from  you,  and  look  upon  the  English  as  their  friends.  I  am 
sorry  for  this,  but  I  can  not  control  them.     I  may  have  to 


THE  INDIAN  IN  THE  CHIMNEY  209 

go  with  the  stream.    I  tell  you  the  truth,  do  not  think  badly 
of  me.     I  have  opened  to  you  the  heart  of  Cornstalk. 

:'  When  I  was  a  young  man  I  went  forth  to  battle.  I 
used  to  think  that  I  would  return  no  more.  I  come  to 
you  amid  the  sound  of  war;  again  I  am  in  the  field  of 
hate.  You  may  kill  me  if  you  choose.  I  can  die  but 
once.  It  is  little  to  me  whether  I  die  now  or  at  some  other 
time." 

The  commander  of  the  fort  answered : 
'  You  say  that  you  may  be  compelled  to  go  with  the 
stream.     Then  I  can  not  let  you  leave  the  fort.     You  must 
remain  here  as  my  prisoner." 

Cornstalk  received  the  decision  with  a  calm  indifference. 

Redhawk  heard  the  word  in  a  like  spirit. 

The  Indians  have  a  strong  affection  for  favorite  sons. 
Cornstalk  had  a  son  who  was  the  "  light  of  his  heart,"  named 
Ellinipsico.  This  son  was  greatly  attached  to  his  father, 
who  was  all  the  world  to  him,  his  joy,  his  pride  of  life. 

Ellinipsico  bade  his  father  good-by  as  the  latter  went 
away  with  Redhawk  to  visit  the  fort. 

He  waited  for  his  father's  return.  But  Cornstalk  did 
not  return.  The  sun  rose  and  went  down  day  by  day,  but 
the  two  chiefs  did  not  return. 

Ellinipsico's  restless  heart  could  endure  the  separation 
no  longer.     The  boy  resolved  to  go  in  search  of  his  father. 

One  day  the  officers  at  the  fort  asked  Cornstalk  to  draw 
a  map  of  his  country  on  the  sand.  He  stooped  over  to  do 
so  when  a  far  sound  rose  in  the  air. 

"Hello!    Father!" 

Cornstalk  looked  up. 

The  cry  was  repeated. 


210  IN   THE   DAYS   OF  JEFFERSON 

"  It  is  my  boy,"  said  Cornstalk.  "  He  is  calling  over 
the  river." 

The  men's  hearts  were  touched.  They  went  across  the 
river  in  a  canoe  and  brought  the  boy  to  his  father. 

As  the  boy  came  to  the  fort  and  saw  his  father  he  was 
filled  with  joy.  lie  rushed  into  his  father's  arms,  and  their 
two  hearts  beat  together  in  a  long  embrace.  The  boy  was 
allowed  to  sleep  in  Cornstalk's  room,  and  the  two  talked 
together  long  into  the  night. 

It  was  the  last  night  they  would  ever  pass  on  earth. 

The  next  day  a  prowling  band  of  Indians  across  the  river 
killed  a  white  man  named  Gilmore  in  the  forest  and  scalped 
him.  The  tragedy  filled  the  soldiers  at  the  fort  with  rage, 
and  they  resolved  to  have  revenge. 

They  brought  back  the  body  of  Gilmore  to  the  fort,  the 
sight  of  which  increased  their  fury.     A  cry  went  up. 

"  Let  us  kill  all  the  Indians  in  the  fort!  " 

A  false  charge  was  made  against  Ellinipsico.  It  was 
that  he  had  led  the  Indians  who  had  murdered  Gilmore  to 
the  place,  and  that  he  came  as  a  spy. 

A  woman,  who  was  a  friend  of  the  Indians,  went  to 
him  with  the  dreadful  news  and  the  suspicion. 

"  It  is  not  true,"  said  the  boy.  "  I  came  to  see  my 
father.     No  one  came  with  me." 

He  began  to  tremble.  He  saw  the  fate  that  awaited  his 
father  and  Eedhawk.    He  himself  wished  to  live. 

Cornstalk  went  into  the  midst  of  the  soldiers  and  spoke 
like  a  Spartan: 

"I  came  here  among  you;  kill  me  if  you  will.  I 
can  die  but  once,  and  it  is  not  for  me  to  appoint  the 
hour." 


THE   INDIAN  IN   THE  CHIMNEY  211 

He  saw  his  boy  trembling. 

"  Ellinipsico,  son  of  my  heart,  boy  of  the  forest/'  said 
he,  "  cease  to  feel  fear.  The  pale  faces  will  kill  you  and 
me.  It  counts  for  nothing  when  we  shall  die.  There  is  One 
above  who  governs  all  events.  The  One  above  has  sent  you 
here  to  die  with  me.  We  will  die  bravely,  as  perished  our 
fathers." 

There  were  angry  sounds  among  the  soldiers.  Kedhawk 
heard  them  and  tried  to  escape,  but  he  could  not  get  away 
from  the  fort. 

There  was  a  large  chimney  on  the  fort.  He  rushed  into 
the  fireplace  when  he  was  not  observed  and  climbed  up 
into  the  flue  of  the  chimney. 

The  soldiers  came  into  the  room  where  Cornstalk  and 
his  son  were  and  where  Kedhawk  had  disappeared. 

Cornstalk  rose  to  meet  them  with  a  calm  front.  They 
leveled  their  guns  at  him,  and  he  fell  pierced  with  eight 
bullets.  There  was  another  volley  of  muskets,  and  Ellinip- 
sico fell  beside  his  father. 

But  where  was  Kedhawk?  Had  he  escaped?  They 
began  to  look  about  for  him. 

The  chief  had  heard  Cornstalk  fall,  and,  cramped  in  the 
chimney,  awaited  his  fate. 

There  arose  a  cry:  "  He  is  in  the  chimney!  The  Indian 
is  in  the  chimney !  " 

He  was  dragged  down  and  pierced  with  bullets  and  his 
body  was  stretched  beside  those  of  the  father  and  son. 

Let  us  return  from  these  far  scenes  to  Jefferson. 

He  has  been  Governor  of  Virginia,  the  war  has  ended 

in  the  independence  of  the  colonies,  and  he  has  come  back 
15 


212  IN   THE   DAYS   OF  JEFFERSON 

to  Monticello.  His  wife  is  dead;  his  sister  Jane  sleeps  beside 
her  and  Dabney  Carr. 

He  came  home.  He  wanted  rest  and  sympathetic  com- 
panionship. He  had  the  direction  of  the  education  of  two 
pupils  whom  he  dearly  loved — James  Madison  and  James 
Monroe. 

One  day  these  pupils  came  to  visit  him,  and  with  them 
Patrick  Henry. 

They  went  into  the  house  and  sat  down  by  the  open 
windows.  The  ancient  Knight  of  the  Golden  Horseshoe 
rode  up  to  the  portico  and  joined  the  company.  He  had 
come  to  spend  a  few  days  at  the  mountain  house. 

They  looked  down  on  the  Rivanna,  as  it  lay  in  the  fad- 
ing twilight. 

"  I  have  a  wish  that  I  have  been  cherishing  of  late," 
said  Jefferson  to  Henry.  "  It  is  to  live  the  life  of  a  philo- 
sophical farmer,  and  to  have  my  two  pupils,  Madison  and 
Monroe,  live  near  me." 

The  old  Knight  of  the  Golden  Horseshoe  struck  his  cane 
on  the  floor,  and  said: 

"  My  friend,  such  a  wish  is  wrong.  He  is  the  true 
philosopher  who  sees  the  need  of  mankind  in  the  future, 
and  lives  and  dies  on  the  field  of  duty. 

"  Friend,  you  must  see  two  things :  If  America  gain 
her  liberty,  she  must  become  a  free  country  from  ocean 
to  ocean,  and  she  must  resent  all  interference  in  her 
affairs  by  European  powers.  Train  these  young  men 
who  have  come  to  you  for  advice  to  see  these  needs  and 
to  live  to  fulfill  them.  I  am  going  to  give  them  horse- 
shoes. 

"  James  Madison,  let  it  be  your  purpose  to  make  this 


THE   INDIAN   IN  THE  CHIMNEY  213 

continent  united  and  free.  Your  day  may  come.  I  give  to 
you  a  golden  horseshoe — four. 

"  James  Monroe,  let  it  be  your  purpose  to  free  this  con- 
tinent from  foreign  dominion.  Advocate  that.  Your  day 
may  come.     I  give  to  you  a  golden  horseshoe — five. 

"  Young  men,  the  future  will  need  you.  You  must  not 
buy  farms  and  settle  down  to  philosophy;  you  must  face 
the  future  and  live.    The  true  life  is  to  grow." 

"  You  are  right,"  said  Jefferson. 

"Right?  My  conscience  tells  me  so.  And  you?  You 
have  only  begun  to  live  in  the  world.  Live  in  your  purpose 
to  make  human  rights  universal;  let  your  home  be  wherever 
you  can  do  this  work  best." 

Jefferson  had  resisted  the  temptation  to  a  selfish  life 
at  Williamsburg.  He  had  turned  from  the  gay  Governor 
Fauquier  to  George  Wythe. 

He  must  do  this  again.  He  must  follow  the  highest  ex- 
amples of  the  world — Phocion,  Pericles,  Cincinnatus,  the 
Gracchi,  Simon  de  Montfort,  Hampden,  Robinson  of  Ley- 
den  ;  he  must  seek  no  early  rest  in  the  garden  of  Virginia.  A 
man  must  live  for  the  highest  power  that  is  in  him;  he  must 
do  his  best.     Jefferson  felt  this. 

He  must  set  the  highest  example,  for  as  he  turned  to 
George  Wythe,  these  two  young  men  may  turn  to  him. 

This  became  his  final  resolution.  The  Future  beckoned 
him.  He  rose  at  her  call,  and  these  two  young  students  fol- 
lowed him. 

To  live  for  influence  is  more  than  any  other  thing. 

Life  is  tempted  on  many  sides.  One  of  the  common 
temptations  of  life  is  to  seek  ease  and  to  become  less  in 
influence  than  one  should  be.     These  three  men  who  have 


214  IN   THE  DAYS   OF  JEFFERSON 

talked  of  making  a  companionable  neighborhood  for  them- 
selves in  the  garden  of  Virginia  are  to  become  Presidents 
of  the  United  States.  They  are  all  to  follow  the  suggestions 
of  the  Sir  Knight  of  the  Golden  Horseshoe. 

Young  James  Monroe  purchased  an  estate  near  Jeffer- 
son's so  as  to  be  near  his  friend.  But  it  was  not  to  settle 
down  as  a  philosopher,  but  to  inspire  the  author  of  the  Pre- 
amble. Jefferson  had  inspired  this  youth  to  inspire  him, 
and  the  ideal  of  the  Sir  Knight  inspired  both. 

"  Before  I  resolved  to  retire  to  private  life,"  said  Jef- 
ferson, "  I  examined  my  heart  to  see  if  there  were  a  particle 
of  political  ambition  left.  I  became  satisfied  that  every 
fiber  of  that  passion  was  thoroughly  eradicated." 

But  his  law  student,  James  Monroe,  like  the  Knight, 
would  not  let  him  rest.     He  prodded  him  on  and  up. 

He  was  right.  Had  he  not  done  his  duty  by  his 
faithful  teacher,  what  might  have  been  the  fate  of  the 
Monroe  doctrine,  the  consummate  achievement  of  Jeffer- 
son's influence? 

Build,  if  you  would  be  builded. 

The  wandering  Knight  had  given  away  five  golden 
horseshoes  now — to  Dabney  Carr,  Thomas  Jefferson,  Patrick 
Henry,  James  Madison,  and  James  Monroe. 

He  thought  that  he  had  distributed  them  well,  and  still 
rode  about  in  the  forest  ways,  repeating: 

"  The  whole  of  America  must  be  free, 
And  her  bounds  extend  from  sea  to  sea. 
And  safe  from  Europe  ever  be. 

'Tis  so  we  cross  the  mountains." 

He  used  to  add:  "  Shall  I  live  to  see  it?  I  wonder,  oh, 
I  wonder!  " 


THE   INDIAN   IN   THE  CHIMNEY  215 

lie  had  refused  a  horseshoe  to  Meriwether  Lewis,  but 
that  boy  had  said  that  he  could  "  earn  "  one. 

Washington  was  elected  President  of  the  United  States 
and  Jefferson  was  sent  to  Paris  as  minister  to  France. 

The  legend  of  the  Golden  Horseshoe  followed  him  there. 
He  there  met  Ledyard,  the  penniless  traveler.  This  strange 
man  had  a  plan  of  exploring  the  northwest  by  the  way  of 
Siberia  and  of  the  Bering  Strait,  the  old  way  of  the  sup- 
posed Indian  immigration  to  America.  Jefferson  listened 
to  his  plan  with  open  heart. 

Ledyard  walked  around  the  whole  coast  of  the  Gulf  of 
Bothnia,  reaching  St.  Petersburg  in  March,  1787,  "  without 
money,  shoes,  or  stockings,"  having  journeyed  fourteen  hun- 
dred miles  on  foot  in  seven  weeks.  He  started  for  Siberia, 
but  was  arrested  by  the  Russian  Government  on  the  sus- 
picion that  he  was  a  spy. 

Here  was  a  man  that,  like  young  Meriwether,  had 
the  spirit  to  "  earn  "  the  golden  horseshoe.  But  his  plans 
failed,  except  as  suggestions. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII 

HAS    HE    CHANGED? 

"  If  you  love  me,"  wrote  Jefferson  to  his  beautiful 
daughter  Martha,  who  bore  her  mother's  name,  "  strive  to 
do  good  under  every  situation  and  to  all  living  creatures." 

This  sentence  furnishes  us  with  a  picture  of  the 
heart  of  Jefferson — k>  to  do  good  to  all  living  creatures  " 
was  not  only  the  ideal  of  Thomas  Jefferson,  it  was  Jef- 
ferson. 

He  has  been  abroad  as  a  minister  of  one  of  the  nm-t 
active  powers  in  the  world  at  this  time.  He  has  seen 
the  Bastile  fall,  and  the  republic  of  France  arise;  he  has 
mingled  in  court-,  and  shared  the  confidences  of  the  great- 
est -tatesmen  of  Europe.  He  has  been  the  guest  of  palaces 
and  castles.  Is  he  Thomas  Jefferson,  the  farmer,  with  an 
open  heart  to  all  (    Is  he  that  still  i 

He  is  coming  home  again.  The  farmers  of  Albemarle 
are  ashing.  "  Has  he  changed  ?  "  His  old  forest  friends  are 
saying,  "  Does  he  still  believe  that  '  all  men  are  created 
equal  and  endowed  with  inalienable  rights  '?  "  The  family 
wonder  as  they  see  his  silent  violin  if  he  will  ever  play  it 
with  them  again  with  the  heart  of  old? 

"  There's  a  Sound  Going  forth  from  the  Mulberry 
Trees  and  the  like  songs  of  home  fires  must  have  lost  all 
216 


HAS  HE  CHANGED? 


217 


charm  for  him  now,"  said  one  of  the  many  old  visitors  to 
the  house  on  the  little  mountain. 

"  I  wonder  if  he  will  read  Ossian  to  us  again,  or  play 
the  stately  minuet  so  that  the  slaves  may  hear  it  outside 
of  the  windows,"  said  another.  "  I  fear  that  the  black  folk 
will  never  gather  under  the  magnolias  within  the  sound 
of  the  windows  any  more.  He  will  return  an  aristocrat. 
Europe  has  spoiled  our  Jefferson." 

Would  he  return  an  aristocrat? 

That  is  what  the  hearts  of  all  the  thirty  or  more  white 
people  and  twice  as  many  slaves  who  looked  up  to  Monti- 
cello  as  their  roof  were  saying. 

He  is  coming  home  now  from  France,  but  he  is  Jefferson 
still.    Jefferson,  the  common  farmer,  in  his  heart  and  life. 

"  Let  me  go  back  to  the  heart  of 
Virginia,"  he  would  say  in  effect, 
"  and  cultivate  my  own  mountain' 
gardens.  I  have  no  use  for  'titles, 
show,  hereditary  rank,  and  irre- 
sponsible power.  In  America,"  and 
here  we  are  using  nearly  his  exact 
words,  "the  poorest  laborer  stands 
on  equal  ground  with  the  wealthiest  Jefferson  s  seal, 

millionaire,  and  generally  on  a  favored  one,  when  their 
rights  seem  to  jar."  What  words  are  these  for  a  man  who 
has  been  living  in  the  glitter  of  courts !    Read  it  over  again ! 

He  is  coming  home,  and  is  bringing  his  old  young  heart 
with  him.     Democracy  in  America  is  his  life. 

"  In  my  country,"  said  he  just  before  leaving  Europe, 
"  distinction  by  birth  or  badge  is  no  more  known  than  a 
mode  of  existence  in  the  moon." 


21S  IH  THE   DAYS   OF  JEFFERSON 

He  wa5  coming  horne,  and  he  was  bringing  his  two 
daughters  with  him.  They  had  left  the  mountain  home 
when  they  were  girls;  they  were  young  ladies  now. 

Was  there  ever  such  a  home-coming?  He  had  written 
to  his  friends  in  Virginia  gardens  that  he  was  returning,  aud 
he  had  told  them  that  he  never  loved  America  as  much  as 
now.  "  O  my  America,  the  land  of  all  lands  of  all  times, 
and  of  the  hope  of  the  future!  "  was  the  burden  of  his 
letters. 

He  had  written  to  his  friends  at  home  that  his  farm 
on  the  mountain  was  the  dearest  spot  in  the  world  to  him, 
that  his  home  was  where  love  called  him,  and  where  hearts 
were  true  to  him,  and  such  was  the  fair-skied  mount  of 
Albemarle. 

All  hearts  were  thrilling  to  meet  him,  not  because  he 
had  won  distinction,  but  because  his  heart  was  true  to  them. 

Twenty-three  days  of  sailing  brought  him  back  to  Vir- 
ginia. He  landed  in  the  Indian  summer  days  when  the 
woods  were  full  of  their  last  splendors.  He  hastened  to 
Albemarle. 

People  who  had  heard  that  Jefferson's  heart  was  true 
lined  the  roads  for  days  hoping  to  see  his  carriage  top  loom- 
ing over  the  hills. 

He  returned  slowly  after  landing  in  Virginia,  visiting 
at  the  plantation  houses  along  the  way.  Everywhere  the 
people  were  thrilled  to  hear  him  say  that  he  was  a  repub- 
lican and  democrat  more  than  ever  before,  that  the  words 
of  the  Preamble  were  his  life. 

Mr.  James  Parton.  in  his  popular  life  of  Jefferson,  has 
outdone  himself  in  vivid  description  in  picturing  this  home- 
coming. 


HAS  HE  CHANGED?  219 

Says  Mr.  Parton  in  a  paragraph  that  makes  the  past  live 
again : 

"  They  were  six  weeks  in  reaching  home.  Two  days 
before  Christmas,  a  joyful  time  of  year  everywhere,  but 
nowhere,  perhaps,  quite  so  hilarious  as  in  the  Virginia  of 
that  generation — all  was  expectation  at  Monticello. 

"  The  house  had  been  made  ready.  The  negroes,  to 
whom  a  holiday  had  been  given,  all  came  in  from  the  vari- 
ous farms  of  the  estate,  dressed  in  their  cleanest  attire  and 
the  women  wearing  their  brightest  turbans,  and  gathered 
early  in  the  day  about  the  house. 

"  Their  first  thought  was  to  meet  the  returning  family 
at  the  foot  of  the  mountain;  and  thither  they  moved  in  a 
body — men,  women,  and  children — long  before  there  was 
any  reason  to  expect  them. 

"  As  the  tedious  hours  passed,  the  more  eager  of  the 
crowd  walked  on;  and  these  being  followed  by  the  rest,  there 
was  a  straggling  line  of  them  a  mile  or  two  in  length.  Late 
in  the  afternoon  the  most  advanced  descried  a  carriage  at 
Shadwell,  drawn  by  four  horses,  with  postilions,  in  the  fash- 
ion of  the  time. 

"  The  exulting  shout  was  raised. 

"  All  ran  forward ;  and  soon  the  whole  crowd  huddled 
round  the  vehicle,  pulling,  pushing,  crying,  cheering,  until 
it  reached  the  steep  ascent  of  the  mountain,  where  the  slack- 
ened pace  gave  them  the  opportunity  they  desired. 

"  In  spite  of  the  master's  entreaties  and  commands,  they 
took  off  the  horses  and  drew  the  carriage  at  a  run  up  the 
mountain  and  round  the  lawn  to  the  door  of  the  house. 

"  It  was  no  easy  matter  to  alight.  Mr.  Jefferson  swam 
in  a  tumultuous  sea  of  black  arms  and  faces  from  the  car- 


220  W   THE  DAYS   OF   JEFFERSON 

riage  to  the  steps  of  the  portico.  Some  kissed  his  hands, 
others  his  feet;  some  cried,  other  laughed;  all  tried  at  least 
to  touch  him.     Not  a  word  could  be  heard  above  the  din. 

"  But  when  the  young  ladies  appeared — when  Martha, 
whom  they  had  last  seen  a  child  of  eleven,  stepped  forth,  a 
woman  grown,  in  all  the  glorious  luster  of  youth,  beauty, 
and  joy;  and  when  Mary  followed,  a  sylph  in  form,  face,  and 
step,  they  all  fell  apart  and  made  a  lane  for  them  to 
holding  up  their  children  to  see  them  and  uttering  many 
a  cry  of  rapturous  approval.  The  father  and  daughters 
entered  the  house  at  length,  the  carriage  rolled  away,  the 
negroes  went  off  chattering  to  their  quarters,  and  there  was 
quiet  again  at  Monticello." 

"  '  Such  a  scene/  wrote  Martha  Jefferson  long  after.  '  I 
never  witnessed  in  my  life.' '  As  late  as  1851  Mr.  Eandall 
heard  a  vivid  description  of  it  at  Monticello  from  an  aged 
negro  who  was  one  of  the  boys  of  the  joyful  company. 

A  new  political  party  was  rising  and  growing.  We  must 
explain  its  meaning. 

At  the  time  of  the  making  of  the  Federal  Constitu- 
tion and  during  the  discussion  of  the  adoption  of  the  Con- 
stitution in  17SS  the  people  who  favored  the  Constitution 
were  called  Federalists.  Washington  was  a  Federalist,  as 
were  Adams,  Hamilton,  and  Gay:  that  is.  they  favored  a 
Federal  union  under  a  common  constitution.  There  were 
who  opposed  the  Constitution:  these  became  known  as 
Anti-Federalists. 

As  years  passed  on  the  latter  party  grew  in  numbers  and 
power;  the  Anti-Federalists  were  opposed  to  a  strong  central 
government,  thinking  that  it  tended  to  monarchy. 

Washington   maintained  a   dignified   republican   court 


HAS  HE  CHANGED?  221 

To  this  the  Anti-Federalists  were  opposed,  and  they  watched 
with  jealousy  all  measures  that  tended  to  make  the  Central 
Government  more  than  an  executive  department. 

Jefferson  was  minister  to  France  in  the  thrilling  events 
that  led  to  the  French  Revolution.  He  had  become  a  radical 
there;  he  was  glad  to  see  titles,  ranks,  and  the  throne  itself 
going  down  before  the  rule  of  the  people.  The  principle 
that  he  had  written  into  the  Declaration  of  Independence 
that  all  men  are  created  equal  had  powerfully  influenced 
the  French  mind;  he  had  hailed  the  oncoming  of  the  great 
revolution,  and  the  enthusiastic  French  republicans  had 
welcomed  him  as  the  father  of  the  democracy  of  the  world. 

In  the  midst  of  the  uprising  of  the  people  of  France 
for  liberty  he  returned  to  America,  expecting  to  find  the 
American  statesmen  and  people  alive  to  the  events  of  the 
new  republic. 

He  found  the  public  feeling  noncommittal  or  indiffer- 
ent. America  viewed  the  French  uprising  with  a  conserva- 
tive feeling,  which  the  ardent  republican  regarded  as  in- 
difference. 

He  was  made  Secretary  of  State  by  Washington. 

He  became  suspicious  of  the  leaders  of  the  Federalist 
party,  and  especially  of  Alexander  Hamilton,  whose  views 
he  thought  tended  toward  the  creation  of  a  monarchy  or 
of  the  concentration  of  power  in  the  executive  departments 
of  the  Government  that  would  be  practically  monarchical. 

He  sounded  the  alarm.  His  ears  were  ringing  with  the 
shouts  and  songs  of  the  French  republicans;  he,  like  them, 
believed  that  every  man  was  a  citizen,  and  nothing  more; 
that  presidents  were  but  servants  of  the  people,  and  cabi- 
nets but  the  secretaries  of  the  president;  and  that  presidents 


2-22  EN   THE   KAYS   OF  JEFFERSON 

were  elected  not  to  govern  the  people,  but  to  execute  the 
laws.  He  returned  as  citizen  Jefferson,  and  were  he  ever 
to  be  elected  president  of  the  republic  he  would  seek  to  be 
nothing  more. 

Titles  of  rank  and  official  dress  and  all  court  appear- 
ance were  being  discarded  in  France.  He  had  rejoiced  at 
the  tearing  off  of  all  signs  and  appearance  of  royalty,  of 
anything  that  tended  to  lift  one  man  above  another.  The 
man  who  assumed  the  dress  of  any  especial  rank  did  injustice 
in  his  view  to  other  men.  He  himself  wore  the  garb  of  a 
common  citizen;  it  was  as  a  Secretary  alone  that  he  entered 
the  Cabinet  of  Washington.  He  opposed  all  measures  that 
tended  to  make  a  public  officer  more  than  a  servant  to  the 
people  who  elected  him.  He  scorned  all  self-display,  and 
declared  that  all  public  officers  must  follow  the  will  of  the 
people  as  expressed  by  the  people's  votes. 

In  short,  that  all  people,  those  in  office  and  out  of  office, 
stood  on  one  common  level;  that  so  it  must  ever  be  in  a 
true  republic. 

These  views  appealed  to  the  people.  So  the  opposition  to 
the  Federal  party  grew  during  the  administration  of  Wash- 
ington and  Adams,  and  the  Anti-Federalists  became  known 
as  the  Republican  party  or  Jefferson  Democrats. 

Jefferson  was  elected  President  of  the  United  State-. 
following  John  Adams,  in  ISOO-'l. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV 

FARMER    JEFFERSON    MOUNTS    HIS    HORSE    AND    GOES    TO 
BE    INAUGURATED 

Jefferson  desired  to  be  inaugurated  as  a  man  of  the 
people.  There  should  be  no  military  parade,  no  royal 
canopy,  no  "  my  lord  "  or  "  my  lady  "  when  he  took  the 
oath  of  office.  He  had  seen  the  Bastile  of  France  fall;  the 
cry  of  "  Liberty,  equality,  and  fraternity,"  which  rose  like 
one  voice  from  the  surging  sea  of  the  people,  still  rung  in 
his  ears.  To  him  it  was  the  cry  of  humanity.  He  never 
so  much  desired  to  be  regarded  as  plain  farmer  Jefferson 
as  now. 

He  was  to  go  from  Monticello  to  Washington  over  muddy 
and  broken  roads. 

One  morning,  a  few  days  before  the  4th  of  March,  he 
ordered  that  one  of  his  trusty  horses  should  be  saddled. 

'  The  time  has  come  for  me  to  ride  to  Washington,"  said 
he.      '  The  roads  are  difficult  at  this  season  of  the  year." 

"  Are  you  going  on  horseback?  "  asked  a  member  of  his 
household. 

"  On  horseback,  as  a  true  republican  President  should 
go  to  be  inaugurated." 

"  Who  is  to  attend  you  ?  " 

"  No  one.     I  know  the  way  to  Washington,  and  shall 

223 


224  IX   THE   DAYS   OF   JEFFERSON 

find  true  friends  and  warm  tires  along  my  way.  I  need  no 
attendant." 

"  But  you  would  be  safer." 

"  No  one  wishes  rue  any  ill.  If  a  good  farmer  should 
ask  me  where  I  am  going,  I  will  only  have  to  say  '  To  the 
office  to  which  you  have  called  me,  citizen  farmer.'  ' 

It  was  an  ardent,  tearful  crowd  of  people  that  gath- 
ered about  the  portico  as  Jefferson  mounted  his  horse 
to  ride  away.  The  negroes  stood  bowing  witli  uncovered 
heads. 

In  the  gray  distance  among  the  trees,  over  which  the 
dawn  was  flashing,  a  form  wavered  to  and  fro,  putting  aside 
the  hollies.  It  was  Ginseng.  When  Jefferson  rode  down 
the  mountain  the  Indian  disappeared  and  followed  the  soli- 
tary horseman  far  on  his  way. 

Suddenly  he  appeared  again  before  the  lonely  rider. 

"  Morning,  Father  Jefferson.  And  is  it  only  to  Wash- 
ington you  are  going'  " 

Ginseng  had  heard  the  wayside  lectures  of  the  Sir 
Knight,  the  Sign. 

"  That  is  all,  my  faithful  friend." 

"  Only  to  be  made  President?  " 

"  Only  that." 

"  I  hoped  you  would  have  led  the  young  horsemen  down 
the  sun  ways  into  Louisiana.  Remember  the  Golden  Horse- 
shoe.    These  are  the  last  words  of  Ginseng.     Morning!  " 

There  were  no  triumphal  greetings  as  he  rode  along, 
but  every  one  seemed  to  wave  their  hearts  to  him:  he  was 
a  friend  to  all  the  world,  and  all  the  world  was  his  friend. 
A  more  happy  man  never  rode  toward  any  capital. 

As  he  passed  through  the  settlements  he  met  the  old 


He  stopped  by  the  way. 


FARMER  JEFFERSON  GOES  TO  BE  INAUGURATED     225 

Knight  of  the  Golden  Horseshoe  on  horseback.     He  reined 
his  horse. 

"  Going  out  alone  on  this  morning  of  spring,  friend 
Jefferson?  " 

"  As  I  ought  to  go,  my  friend." 

"  To  be  inaugurated  ?  " 

"  That  is  a  pretentious  word." 

"  I  am  disappointed.  I  hoped  to  hear  that  you  were 
leading  a  troop  into  the  wilderness  the  other  way.  Destiny 
lies  the  other  way — to  the  West.  But  wherever  you  go 
and  whatever  be  your  duty,  never  forget  Governor  Spots- 
wood  and  the  Golden  Horseshoe." 

"  I  feel  your  meaning.  The  West  rises  before  me — all 
things  follow  suggestion  in  this  world— and  I  sometime  and 
somehow  hope  to  follow  the  cause  that  was  so  clear  to  the 
eye  and  dear  to  the  heart  of  Governor  Spotswood." 

A  log  schoolhouse  stood  by  the  way.  Great  trees  tow- 
ered over  it,  and  a  brook  ran  by  it.  Here  Elder  Leland 
used  to  preach.  He  was  a  political  preacher  in  Virginia; 
he  preached  the  political  views  of  Jefferson.  He  would 
ride  up  to  the  schoolhouse,  singing  one  of  his  own  hymns, 
his  mind,  as  it  were,  in  the  sky,  as — 

"  Oh,  when  shall  I  see  Jesus 

And  reign  with  him  above  ?  " 
and 

"  Through  grace  I  am  determined 
To  conquer  though  I  die." 

The  people  where  Leland  had  preached  all  believed  in 
Jefferson.     So  did  the  children. 

The  schoolmaster  recognized  the  new  President  in  the 
lonely  rider.     He  lifted  his  hat  and  the  children  cheered. 


226  *N   THE  DAYS  OF  JEFFERSON 

The  birds  sang,  the  children  cheered  him  from  the  doors, 
and  Jefferson,  with  Ossian  in  his  head,  if  the  kit  was  not 
under  his  arm.  rode  on  and  on,  and  the  sun  blazed  over 
the  budding  trees,  and  nightfall  brought  him  peaceful  rest 
at  the  inn. 

The  sun  rose  again  over  the  mountains.  Citizen  Jeffer- 
son breathed  the  pure  springlike  air.  The  woodpeckers 
were  already  tapping  the  oaks,  and  the  bluebirds,  like  rifts 
of  the  sky,  were  on  the  wing. 

He  must  have  thought  of  the  days  when  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one  he  used  to  ride  up  Monticello  with  Dabney  Carr, 
when  he  read  law,  played  the  violin,  and  read  Ossian. 

The  swollen  streams  ran  by  the  way.  here  and  there 
margined  by  the  first  green  leaves  of  violets.  People  con- 
tinued to  come  out  of  the  farmhouses  as  he  rode  along  on 
his  solitary  way.     No  guards,  no  servants,  no  attendants. 

People  asked  who  was  this  solitary  rider. 

He  stopped  by  the  way  at  times,  and,  fastening  his  horse 
to  the  palings  of  a  fence,  asked  for  refreshments.  A  stran- 
ger he  may  have  been,  but  the  gentleman  characterized 
his  figure  and  every  movement. 

A  good  farmer,  perhaps,  who  did  not  know  Jefferson. 
came  out  to  his  well,  and  took  off  his  hat.  The  President- 
elect  greeted  him  with  like  ceremony. 

"  Are  you  going  to  the  inauguration  of  the  new  Presi- 
dent?" may  have  asked  the  freeholder. 

"  Yes,  yes.  It  will  be  a  very  simple  matter,  my  friend; 
it  requires  little  ceremony  for  a  servant  of  the  people  to 
take  an  office  of  service." 

"  President  Jefferson  is  a  very  plain  man,  I  am  told.  I 
would  like  to  sro  to  the  inauguration  mvself." 


FARMER  JEFFERSON  GOES  TO  BE  INAUGURATED     227 

The  solitary  man  rode  on.  The  sun  shone  high  again 
in  the  full  splendor  of  spring.  Did  he  feel  the  spirit  of 
Ossian  filling  the  woods  as  of  old? 

He  rested  by  the  way  among  simple  people,  and  talked 
of  the  future  prospects  of  a  republic  in  which  all  people 
should  have  one  heart  and  be  as  one  man. 

The  Potomac  came  into  view,  and  he  rode  into  the  new 
town  of  Washington,  which  had  lately  been  an  estate  of  a 
sturdy  Scotchman  by  the  name  of  Burns. 

Of  Jefferson's  arrival  Professor  McMaster  says,  in  his 
History  of  the  People  of  the  United  States:  "It  has  been 
long  popularly  believed  that  at  noon  Jefferson,  unattended 
by  a  living  soul,  rode  up  the  Capitol  hill,  tied  his  horse  to 
the  picket  fence,  entered  the  chamber  of  the  Senate,  and 
took  the  oath  of  office.  The  story,  unhappily,  is  not  true. 
Surrounded  by  a  crowd  of  citizens  and  a  troop  of  militia 
beating  drums  and  bearing  flags,  he  rode  slowly  on  to  the 
Capitol  and  mounted  the  steps,  with  the  shouts  of  a  multi- 
tude and  the  roar  of  cannon  ringing  in  his  ears.  As  he 
passed  through  the  doorway  of  the  Senate  chamber,  the 
Senators  and  Representatives  present  rose.  Burr  left  the 
chair.  Jefferson  took  it,  rested  a  moment,  rose,  and  deliv- 
ered his  speech."  * 

Jefferson  had  something  very  definite  to  say.  The 
reader  would  do  well  to  weigh  every  word: 

"  Every  difference  of  opinion  is  not  a  difference  of  prin- 
ciple.    We  have  called  by  different  names  brethren  of  the 

*  This  account  is,  of  course,  based  on  contemporary  evidence,  and 
Professor  McMaster  refers  to  the  Aurora,  March  11,  1801,  and  a  little  book 
called  The  Speech  of  Thomas  Jefferson,  delivered  at  his  Installment,  etc., 
published  in  Philadelphia  in  1801. 
16 


228  IN  THE   DAYS  OF  JEFFERSOX 

same  principle.  We  are  all  Republicans;  we  are  all  Fed- 
eralists. If  there  be  any  among  us  who  would  wish  to  dis- 
solve this  union  or  to  change  its  republican  form  let  them 
stand  undisturbed  as  monuments  of  the  safety  with  which 
error  of  opinion  may  be  tolerated  where  reason  is  left  free 
to  combat  it.  I  know,  indeed,  that  some  honest  men  fear 
that  a  republican  government  can  not  be  strong — that  this 
Government  is  not  strong  enough.  But  would  the  honest 
patriot,  in  the  full  tide  of  successful  experiment,  abandon  a 
government  which  has  so  far  kept  us  free  and  firm  on  the 
theoretic  and  visionary  fear  that  this  Government,  the 
world's  best  hope,  may  by  possibility  want  energy  to  pre- 
serve itself?  I  trust  not.  I  believe  this,  on  the  contrary, 
the  strongest  on  earth.  I  believe  it  the  only  one  where 
every  man,  at  the  call  of  the  laws,  would  fly  to  the  standard 
of  the  law  and  would  meet  invasions  of  the  public  order 
as  his  own  personal  concern." 

But  the  flag  that  blew  over  the  new  Capitol  in  the  fresh 
spring  air  stood  for  the  citizenship  of  the  people;  not  only 
for  the  people  of  the  republic  of  America,  but  for  all  people. 

The  inaugural  address  was  an  appeal  for  magnanimity, 
for  all  men  to  rise  above  partisanship  and  to  cherish  one 
common  sentiment  for  the  welfare  of  all  people.  May  the 
flag  ever  stand  for  all  that  it  stood  for  on  that  immortal  day ! 


CHAPTER  XXXV 


THE    GREAT    CHESHIRE    CHEESE 


The  story  of  the  simplicity  of  the  inauguration  of  Jef- 
ferson should  be  held  among  the  choicest  of  legends  of  the 
republic,  with  the  incidents  of  like  spirit  in  the  lives  of 
Servius  Tullius,  Phoeion,  Pericles,  Cincinnatus,  Marcus 
Aurelius  Antoninus,  the  Gracchi,  the  Scipios,  with  those  of 
all  the  great  and  good  who  have  loved  the  people  more  than 
themselves,  and  the  liberties  of  the  people  more  than  any 
other  political  cause.  Jefferson  had  come  to  the  capital  not 
to  gain  anything  from  the  people,  but  to  give  all  he  had  to 
the  people;  he  was  destined  to  die  poor  with  all  of  his 
great  Virginia  estates,  for  he  never  used  public  office  for 
private  gain. 

We  have  told  you  how  that  when  he  was  a  student  and 
had  been  introduced  to  Governor  Fauquier's  gay  circle  of 
friends  at  the  palace  he  turned  from  these  influences  to  one 
of  the  best  men  of  the  times  for  an  example — to  the  noble, 
learned,  and  virtuous  George  Wythe.  When  tempted  to 
do  things  that  might  lessen  his  moral  power  or  impair  the 
sensitiveness  of  his  conscience  he  would  ask:  "  What  would 
George  Wythe  do  under  such  circumstances?  "  And  that 
which  he  thought  that  this  man  would  do  in  each  individual 
case  he  himself  did. 

229 


230  EH   THE   DAYS   OF   JEFFERSON 

Was  there  any  one  to  whom  he  could  now  turn  for  an 
example — he  who  held  right  doing  above  everything  in  life, 
he  who  had  written  the  preamble  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence,  who  had  stood  by  the  French  people  when 
the  Bastile  fell,  who  stood  for  the  principle  of  human  equal- 
ity, and  had  ridden  out  of  the  Virginia  wilderness  alone 
to  be  inaugurated  President  of  the  republic '.  To  whom 
save  Washington  could  such  a  man  turn  for  an  example 
now  (  Did  he  not  himself  embody  the  highest  political 
virtues ' 

Yes;  but  there  was  one  man  to  whom  he  could  yet  turn 
and  follow  as  another  George  "Wythe — a  man  of  incorrupti- 
ble life,  over  whose  head  honor  hung  like  a  star. 

That  man  was  a  very  old  man  then.  He  lived  in  Boston. 
The  children  loved  him  and  followed  him  in  the  streets. 
His  statue  may  be  seen  in  Boston  to-day,  and  on  that  statue 
is  written:  "  He  organized  the  Revolution." 

In  my  book  The  Patriot  Schoolmaster  I  told  in  a 
form  of  fiction  the  story  of  this  man.  It  was  he  who  said, 
when  an  agent  of  General  Gage  offered  him  a  title  and 
emoluments  that  he  might  make  his  peace  with  the  King: 
'•  Sir.  I  trust  that  I  long  ago  made  my  peace  with  the  King 
of  kings,  and  no  power  on  earth  can  make  me  recreant  to 
my  duties  to  my  country."  It  was  he  who,  when  he  heard 
the  first  guns  at  Lexington  on  Woburn  Hills,  said  to  Han- 
cock: "  What  a  glorious  morn  is  this  for  my  country!  " 

This  man  was  a  Cato.  He  had  grown  rich  in  the  service 
of  his  country,  but  had  been  kept  poor  by  it :  Massachusetts 
had  sriven  the  office  of  Governor  to  him  in  extreme  old  age, 
but  he  honored  the  office  more  than  the  office  him.  He  was 
a  veiw  old  man  in  appearance;  his  beautiful  and  beneficent 


THE  GREAT  CHESHIRE   CHEESE 


231 


His  fading  years  were   almost 


And  he  told  him  a  secret 


face  bent  over  his  staff, 
spent. 

When  the  simple  inaugural  was  over  the  heart  of  Jef- 
ferson turned  to  this  man  who  "  organized  the  Revolu- 
tion/' and  who  waited  the  angel  of  death  with  empty  hands 
— Samuel  Adams. 

He  sat  down  and  wrote  to  him. 
of  his  life;  he  told  him  that  it 
was  his  example,  that  he  had  put 
into  his  heart  to  follow.  This 
was  the  same  course  that  he  pur- 
sued in  youth;  it  is  the  course  that 
every  student  may  well  pursue. 

Mark  you  the  words  that 
farmer  Jefferson,  citizen  Presi- 
dent, wrote  to  this  tottering  old 
man  of  Boston  town: 

"  I  addressed  a  letter  to  you, 
my  very  dear  and  ancient  friend,     ^^^^^-l^ 
on  the  4th  of  March;  not,  indeed, 

to  you  by  name,  but  through  the  medium  of  some  of  my  fel- 
low-citizens, whom  occasion  called  on  me  to  address.  In 
meditating  the  matter  of  that  address  I  often  asked  myself: 
'  Is  this  exactly  in  the  spirit  of  the  old  patriarch  Samuel 
Adams?  Is  it  as  he  would  express  it?  Will  he  approve  of 
it? '  I  have  felt  a  great  deal  for  our  country  in  the  times 
we  have  seen,  but  individually  for  no  one  so  much  as  your- 
self. When  I  have  been  told  that  you  were  avoided,  in- 
sulted, frowned  upon,  I  could  but  ejaculate,  '  Father,  forgive 
them;  for  they  know  not  what  they  do!  '  I  confess  that  I 
felt  an  indignation  for  you  which  for  myself  I  have  been 


232  IN   THE   DAYS  OF  JEFFERSON 

able,  under  every  trial,  to  keep  entirely  passive.  However, 
the  storni  is  over,  and  we  are  in  port.  The  ship  was  not 
rigged  for  the  service  she  was  put  on.  We  will  show  the 
smoothness  of  her  motions  on  her  Republican  tack." 

He  added  in  golden  words  that  made  him  more  than  a 
king:  "  How  much  I  lament  that  time  has  deprived  me  of 
your  aid.  It  would  have  been  a  day  of  glory  which  should 
have  called  you  to  the  first  office  of  the  administration.  But 
give  us  your  counsel,  my  friend,  and  give  us  your  blessing." 

AVith  what  joy,  with  what  prophetic  hope  for  the  future, 
must  the  venerable  patriarch  of  Boston  have  read  these 
lines!  They  were  like  coronation.  There  are  tributes  to 
worth  that  are  more  than  wealth  or  fame. 

The  new  President  would  follow  the  spirit  of  Samuel 
Adams  now  to  the  end. 

The  simple  inauguration  was  followed  by  a  gift  that  was 
truly  republican  in  its  simplicity,  one  that  put  the  whole 
country  in  a  merry  mood. 

You  will  remember  the  story  of  Elder  Leland,  the  forest 
preacher.  After  preaching  long  in  the  forest  ways  of  the 
Old  Dominion,  he  settled  in  Cheshire,  Massachusetts. 

He  once  set  out  to  preach  in  Virginia  again,  but  he  re- 
turned because  he  felt  that  Cheshire  needed  him  more.  This 
anecdote  is  very  pleasantly  told  in  a  local  history: 

"  He  started  early  in  the  fall  on  a  tour  to  Virginia, 
preaching  and  performing  the  work  of  an  evangelist.  A 
throng  of  people  followed  him  for  a  number  of  miles  listen- 
ing to  his  words  and  bidding  him  at  last  tearful  good-bys. 
Appointments  were  made  for  a  long  distance  ahead,  but, 
becoming  more  and  more  impressed  regarding  the  people 
he  had  left  behind,  he  finally  canceled  his  engagements  and 


THE  GREAT   CHESHIRE  CHEESE  233 

returned,  declaring  that  he  could  not  preach  to  Virginia 
with  the  sins  of  Cheshire  on  his  back.  He  reached  the  resi- 
dence of  a  certain  Deacon  Wood  at  midnight,  and  awakened 
them  from  deep  sleep  by  singing  in  his  sweet,  thrilling  voice : 

"  '  Brethren,  I  have  come  again, 
Joseph  lives,  and  Jesus  reigns, 
Praise  hint  in  the  loudest  strains.' 

"  They  arose  and  admitted  him,  and  from  that  day  the 
work  went  on.  Long  years  afterward,  when  Mrs.  Wood  was 
an  old  lady,  to  her  children's  children  she  often  told  the  story 
of  the  old  hymn  as  it  sounded  from  out  the  fall  night,  break- 
ing their  slumbers  and  proclaiming  the  arrival  of  their  be- 
loved friend  and  teacher." 

In  Cheshire  he  not  only  preached  the  Gospel,  but  also 
the  republicanism  of  Jefferson.  In  both  the  people  fol- 
lowed him. 

That  was  a  thrilling  day  when  the  news,  that  Jefferson 
had  been  elected  President,  reached  Cheshire.  We  must  tell 
you  a  story  of  those  days,  for  it  will  again  picture  repub- 
lican simplicity. 

Elder  Leland  was  full  of  joy,  and  the  people  whom  he 
had  instructed  were  almost  beside  themselves  for  gladness. 

"  We  must  make  him  a  present,"  said  the  great  preacher. 

"  What  joyful  sound  is  this  I  hear, 
Fresh  from  the  mulberry  tops  ?  " 

What  should  the  present  be? 

A  good  woman  of  Cheshire  said :  "  We  are  cheese- 
makers;  let  us  make  him  a  cheese — a  good  large  one." 

"  The  biggest  cheese  that  ever  was  made,"  said  another. 
"  He  ought  to  have  it — he  wrote  the  Declaration." 


234  IN  THE  DAYS  OF  JEFFERSON 

The  news  flew. 

The  good  women  of  Cheshire  agreed  to  make  for  Jeffer- 
son the  largest  cheese  that  ever  was  pressed  in  all  the  cheese 
presses  of  the  world. 

A  local  history  thus  tells  the  story  of  it  with  rural  sim- 
plicity : 

"  In  every  era  and  among  every  people  since  the  race 
began  we  find  men  who  leave  the  impress  of  their  character 
on  all  associated  with  them — men  born  to  rule  their  fellows 
and  to  mold  the  thoughts  and  opinions  of  state  and  nation. 

"  Such  a  man  was  Elder  Leland.  Not  only  in  the 
sparsely  settled  districts  of  old  Virginia,  where  his  influence 
was  sought  when  a  great  measure  was  before  the  people,  but 
also  among  the  sturdy  farmers  of  this  little  village,  his  polit- 
ical views  were  heartily  and  unanimously  indorsed. 

"  A  strong  Jeffersonian  himself,  the  whole  people  were 
admirers  of  Jefferson  also.  When  he  was  chosen  to  fill  the 
presidential  chair  their  exultation  knew  no  bounds,  and,  im- 
pelled by  a  desire  to  pay  him  some  tribute  of  respect,  the 
original  thought  occurred  to  them  that  from  so  famous  a 
dairying  community  what  could  be  more  appropriate  than 
a  mammoth  cheese,  the  result  of  their  united  contributions. 
In  investigating  the  history  of  the  manufacture  of  this  cheese 
we  find  a  diversity  of  opinion  as  to  the  place  of  making, 
some  of  the  older  people  claiming  that  the  curd  was  mixed 
at  Elisha  Brown's,  on  the  farm  now  occupied  by  William 
Bennet,  and  there  pressed,  then  brought  down  to  Captain 
Daniel  Brown's  to  be  cured  and  dried.  In  support  of  this 
theory  we  copy  from  the  Hampshire  Gazette  of  September 
10,  1801,  the  following  quaint  account  of  its  making  and 
journey." 


THE  GREAT   CHESHIRE  CHEESE  235 

Here  follows  an  odd  account,  after  the  manner  of  the 
Hebrew  Chronicles.  We  know  of  nothing  more  quaint  in 
the  humors  of  history: 

"  '  THE  CHESHIRE  PARABLE  OF  THE  GREAT  CHEESE 

"'And  Jacknips  said  unto  the  Cheshireites:  "Behold  the 
Lord  hath  put  in  a  ruler  over  us  that  is  after  our  own  hearts. 

"  '  "  Now  let  us  gather  together  our  curd  and  carry  it 
into  the  valley  of  Elisha  unto  his  wine  press,  and  there  make 
a  great  cheese,  that  we  may  make  a  thank  offering  unto  that 
great  man." 

"  '  Now  these  sayings  pleased  the  Cheshireites,  so  they 
did  as  Jacknips  had  commanded. 

"  '  And  they  said  unto  Darius,  the  son  of  Daniel,  the 
prophet,  "  Make  us  a  great  hoop,  four  feet  in  diameter  and 
eighteen  inches  high."  And  Darius  did  as  he  was  com- 
manded, and  Asahel  and  Benjamin,  the  blacksmiths,  secured 
it  with  strong  iron  bands,  so  that  it  could  not  give  way. 

"  '  Now  the  time  for  making  the  great  cheese  was  on  the 
twentieth  day  of  the  seventh  month,  when  all  the  Jacobites 
assembled  as  one  man,  every  man  with  his  curd  except  John, 
the  physician,  who  said:  "  I  have  no  curd,  but  I  will  doctor 
the  Federalists;  send  them  to  me  and  I  will  cure  their  fed- 
ism."  But  Jacknips  said:  "Behold  Frances,  the  wife  of 
John,  the  Hillite,  she  is  a  goodly  woman,  and  she  is  wont  to 
make  good  cheese;  now  she  shall  be  the  chief  anions: 
women." 

"  '  Now,  when  all  these  things  were  ready,  they  put  it 
in  Elisha's  press.  Ten  days  did  they  press  it;  but  on  the 
eleventh,  Jacknips  said  unto  the  Cheshireites :  "  Behold,  now 


236  EN  THE   DAYS  OF  JEFFERSON 

let  us  gather  together  a  great  multitude  and  move  it  to  the 
great  house  of  Daniel,  the  prophet,  there  to  be  cured  and 
dried."  Now  Daniel  lives  about  eight  furlongs  from  the 
valley  of  Elisha. 

"  '  So  they  made  a  great  parade  and  mounted  the  cheese 
on  a  sled  and  put  six  horses  to  draw  it. 

"  '  And  Jacknips  went  forward,  and  when  he  came  to 
the  inn  of  Little  Moses  he  said  unto  Moses,  "  Behold,  the 
great  cheese  is  coming."  And  Moses  said  unto  Freelove,  his 
wife,  "  Behold  the  multitude  advancing;  now  let  us  kill  all 
the  firstborn  of  the  lambs  and  he  goats  and  make  a  great 
feast." 

"  '  And  they  did  so,  and  the  people  did  eat  meat  and 
drink  wine,  the  fourth  part  of  a  hine  each,  so  they  were  very 
merry.  And  Jacknips  said:  "It  shall  come  to  pass  when 
your  children  shall  say  unto  you,  '  AVhat  mean  you  by  this 
great  cheese? '  ye  shall  answer  them,  saying:  '  It  is  a  sacri- 
fice unto  our  great  ruler,  because  he  giveth  gifts  unto  the 
Jacobites  and  taketh  them  from  the  Federalists.'  " 

"  '  And  Jacknips  said:  "  Peradventure  within  two  years 
I  shall  present  this  great  cheese  as  a  thank  offering  unto  our 
great  ruler,  and  all  the  Cheshireites  shall  say  '  Amen.' ' 

Says  a  local  account,  with  a  tone  of  true  republicanism: 

"  Each  good  wife  set  her  milk  in  her  own  dairy,  and  on 
the  appointed  day  brought  the  curds,  and  these  were  mixed 
and  salted  by  the  most  skillful  dairy  women.  It  was  pressed 
in  the  cider  mill,  and  one  month  from  the  day  of  its  mak- 
ing it  weighed  twelve  hundred  and  thirty-five  pounds. 
From  the  fact  that  at  a  later  period  a  larger  cheese  was 
made  in  the  same  town,  weighing  about  fourteen  hundred 
pounds,  doubtless  arises  the  conflicting  statement.     In  the 


THE  GREAT   CHESHIRE  CHEESE  237 

early  fall  the  cheese  was  carefully  packed,  and,  in  the  care 
and  escort  of  Elder  Leland  and  Darius  Brown,  it  was  drawn 
to  Hudson,  and  from  there  shipped  by  water  to  Washing- 
ton." 

This  presents  an  ideal  picture.  The  same  account  con- 
tinues : 

"  Through  the  kindness  of  Mr.  Daniel  B.  Brown  (son 
of  Darius),  we  are  able  to  give  the  presentation  speech: 

"  '  To  Thomas  Jefferson,  President  of  the  United  States  of 
America : 

'  Sir:  Notwithstanding  we  live  remote  from  the  seat 
of  our  National  Government  in  an  extreme  part  of  our  own 
State,  yet  we  humbly  claim  the  right  of  judging  for  our- 
selves. 

"  '  Our  attachment  to  the  national  Constitution  is  in- 
dissoluble. We  consider  it  as  a  definition  of  those  powers 
which  the  people  have  delegated  to  their  magistrates  to  be 
exercised  for  definite  purposes,  and  not  as  a  charter  of  favors 
granted  by  a  sovereign  to  his  subjects. 

"  '  Among  its  beautiful  features  the  right  of  free  suf- 
frage to  correct  all  abuses,  the  prohibition  of  religious  tests 
to  prevent  all  hierarchy,  and  the  means  of  amendment  which 
it  contains  within  itself  to  remove  defects  as  fast  as  they  are 
discovered,  appear  the  most  prominent. 

"  '  Such  being  the  sentiments  which  we  entertain,  our 
joy  must  have  been  exquisite  on  your  appointment  to  the 
first  office  in  the  nation.  The  trust  is  great.  The  task  is 
arduous.  But  we  believe  the  Supreme  Ruler  of  the  uni- 
verse, who  raises  up  men  to  achieve  great  events,  has  raised 
up  a  Jefferson  at  this  critical  day  to  defend  republicanism 


238  IN  THE  DAYS  OF  JEFFERSON 

and  to  baffle  the  arts  of  aristocracy.  AVe  wish  to  prove  the 
love  we  bear  to  our  President  not  by  words  alone,  but  in 
deed  and  in  truth. 

"  '  With  this  address  we  send  you  a  cheese,  by  the  hands 
of  Messrs.  John  Leland  and  Darius  Brown,  as  a  token  of  the 
esteem  which  we  bear  to  our  Chief  Magistrate,  and  of  the 
sense  we  entertain  of  the  singular  blessings  that  have  been 
derived  from  the  numerous  services  you  have  rendered  man- 
kind in  general,  and  more  especially  to  this  favored  nation 
over  which  you  preside.  It  is  not  the  last  stone  of  the  Bas- 
tile,  nor  is  it  an  article  of  great  pecuniary  worth,  but  as  a 
free-will  offering  we  hope  it  will  be  favorably  received. 
The  cheese  was  procured  by  the  personal  labor  of  freeborn 
fanners,  with  the  voluntary  and  cheerful  aid  of  their  wives 
and  daughters,  without  the  assistance  of  a  single  slave. 

"  '  It  was  originally  intended  for  an  elective  President 
of  a  free  people  and  with  a  principal  view  of  casting  a  mite 
into  the  even  scale  of  Federal  democracy."  " 

Elder  Leland  helped  cart  the  cheese  to  Washington, 
and  we  are  told  that  he  "  went  preaching  all  the  way."  He 
probably  went  singing  There's  a  Going  in  the  Tops  of  the 
Mulberry  Trees,  which  curious  hymn  meant  the  breath  of 
prayer,  or  some  like  hymn,  for  he  drove  oxen  singing,  and 
when  he  rode  the  highways  he  sung. 

The  Republican  President  must  have  indeed  felt  the 
heart  of  the  people  when  he  saw  the  great  cheese  coming, 
and  Leland  with  it. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI 

"  REPUBLICAN    SIMPLICITY  " 

The  new  Government  began  in  a  Samuel  Adams  like 
spirit  and  simplicity.  The  administration  of  Jefferson  lasted 
from  1801  to  1809,  and  was  a  period  of  contentment — 
the  golden  age  for  which  the  administrations  of  \Yashing- 
ton  and  Adams  had  prepared  the  way.  Jefferson  never 
forgot  that  he  was  called  from  the  farm  to  serve  the 
people;  he  never  forgot  the  heart  life  and  lessons  that 
he  had  so  well  learned  from  his  associations  with  Dabney 
Carr. 

Aristocracy  disappeared.  Worth  made  men,  and  worth 
seeks  no  trappings.  He  sought  the  best  men  for  office,  and 
the  most  unselfish.  "  I  am  anxious,"  he  said,  "  to  make  the 
best  possible  appointments."  "  Recommend  to  me  the  best 
characters,"  he  said  to  a  statesman.  He  refused  to  appoint 
any  relative  to  public  office,  lest  it  should  be  said  that  he 
used  public  office  indirectly  for  private  advantage.  Merit 
should  govern  all  things. 

He  dismissed  no  good  man  from  office  on  the  ground  of 
difference  of  political  views.  He  wished  every  man  to  talk 
of  his  convictions  freely,  and  to  vote  his  conscience  on  every 
occasion. 

There  was  one  question  that  he  once  asked  of  a  political 

239 


240  IN  THE  DAYS  OF  JEFFERSON 

leader  which  to-day  would  be  worthy  of  a  debating  society, 
for  it  pleads  for  the  unrestricted  freedom  of  opinion: 

"  What  is  the  difference,"  he  asked,  "  between  deny- 
ing a  man  the  right  of  suffrage  or  of  punishing  him  for 
exercising  that  right  by  turning  him  out  of  office  ?  " 

He  would  allow  no  court  ceremonies.  He  held  two  re- 
ceptions or  levees — one  on  July  4th  and  the  other  on  New 
Year's  day.  He  wore  no  state  costume  on  these  occasions, 
had  no  retinues  of  servants.  Any  one  was  welcome  to 
walk  in  and  offer  his  hand  to  him,  and  he  received  such 
people  in  the  order  in  which  they  came;  they  were  all 
citizens  to  him,  and  he  was  farmer  Jefferson,  serving  the 
state. 

One  day  the  grand  people  of  the  old  party  determined 
to  force  upon  him  a  levee  in  court  manner.  They  came  to 
the  executive  mansion  in  the  habits  of  old.  They  found 
that  the  President  had  gone  out  to  ride  on  horseback. 

Jefferson  at  last  came  riding  home.  He  saw  the  coaches, 
the  grooms,  the  moving  hither  and  thither  of  people  in  grand 
costumes,  like  a  masque  of  old. 

He  did  not  hasten  to  his  dressing  room. 

He  dismounted  his  horse,  and  with  riding  boots  and  his 
horsewhip  in  his  hand,  entered  the  house  and  stood  among 
the  velveted  and  brocaded  company,  saying,  "  You  are  all 
very  welcome,"  offering  to  all  his  hand. 

His  appearance  in  this  way  made  the  purpose  of  the 
assembly  ridiculous.  It  was  the  last  of  the  levees  in  those 
days  of  republican  simplicity. 

He  abolished  the  old  ceremony  of  precedent,  by  which 
titled  people  should  be  seated  at  dinners  in  order  of  their 
rank.     To  him  worth  was  rank,  and  worth  seeks  no  special 


"REPUBLICAN  SIMPLICITY"  241 

favors.     When  the  people  are  brought  together  socially  he 
maintained  that  all  should  be  perfectly  equal. 

There  crossed  the  sea  at  this  time  some  English  people 
of  distinction,  among  whom  was  the  famous  poet  Tom 
Moore,  who  came  to  write  near  Norfolk  the  famous  ballad 
The  Lake  of  the  Dismal  Swamp. 

"  They've  made  her  a  grave  too  cold  and  damp 
For  a  heart  so  warm  and  true." 

With  the  company  came  Mr.  Merry,  the  English  min- 
ister. Moore  was  accustomed  to  the  polite  etiquettes  of 
courts,  and  Mr.  Merry  knew  no  other  society. 

Both  were  astounded  at  their  reception  in  the  repub- 
lican city  that  was  breaking  the  wilderness. 

Mr.  Merry  thus  in  part  told  his  story  to  polite  Josiah 
Quincy,  of  Boston: 

"  I  called  on  Mr.  Madison,  who  accompanied  me  offi- 
cially to  introduce  me  to  the  President.  We  went  together 
to  the  mansion  house,  I  being  in  full  official  costume,  as  the 
etiquette  of  my  place  required  on  such  a  formal  introduc- 
tion of  a  minister  from  Great  Britain  to  the  President  of  the 
United  States.  On  arriving  at  the  hall  of  audience  we 
found  it  empty;  at  which  Mr.  Madison  seemed  surprised, 
and  proceeded  to  an  entry  leading  to  the  President's  study. 
I  followed  him,  supposing  the  introduction  was  to  take  place 
in  the  adjoining  room.  At  this  moment  Mr.  Jefferson  en- 
tered the  entry  at  the  other  end,  and  all  three  of  us  were 
packed  in  this  narrow  space,  from  which,  to  make  room, 
I  was  obliged  to  back  out.  In  this  awkward  position  my 
introduction  to  the  President  was  made  by  Mr.  Madison. 
Mr.  Jefferson's  appearance  soon  explained  to  me  that  the 


242  IN  THE  DAYS  OF  JEFFERSON 

general  circumstances  of  my  reception  had  not  been  acci- 
dental, but  studied.  I,  in  my  official  costume,  found  myself, 
at  the  hour  of  reception  he  had  himself  appointed,  intro- 
duced to  a  man  as  President  of  the  United  States  not  merely 
in  an  undress,  but  actually  standing  in  slipj^ers." 

Tom  Moore  was  more  shocked  than  Mr.  Merry  at  what 
he  saw  when  he  called  upon  the  citizen  President.  He  was 
introduced  to  Mr.  Jefferson  by  Mr.  Merry. 

"  I  found  him,"  the  poet  records,  "  sitting  with  General 
Dearborn  and  one  or  two  other  officers,  and  in  the  same 
homely  costume,  comprising  slippers  and  Connemara  stock- 
ings, in  which  Mr.  Merry  had  been  received  by  him,  much 
to  that  formal  minister's  horror,  when  waiting  on  him  in 
full  dress  to  deliver  his  credentials.  My  single  interview 
with  this  remarkable  person  was  of  very  short  duration;  but 
to  have  seen  and  spoken  to  the  man  who  drew  up  the  Decla- 
ration of  Independence  was  an  event  not  to  be  forgotten." 

The  poet  wrote  satirical  lines  on  the  President  and  held 
him  up  to  public  ridicule. 

Some  years  afterward  Jefferson  chanced  to  meet  with 
Moore's  Irish  Melodies.  They  were  not  the  poems  of  Ossian, 
but  he  admired  the  national  spirit  in  them,  and  he  sym- 
pathized with  the  Irish  race. 

As  he  studied  the  poems  he  said  to  a  friend : 

"  Why,  that  was  the  little  man  who  made  fun  of  me. 
He  is  a  poet,  after  all." 

Moore  became  one  of  his  favorite  poets. 

"  What  should  be  the  etiquette  between  a  governor  and 
the  President? "  asked  a  governor  of  Jefferson  one  day. 

"  There  should  be  no  etiquette,  sir.  The  two  are  alike 
in  their  stations." 


"REPUBLICAN  SIMPLICITY"  243 

He  would  not  allow  his  birthday  to  be  celebrated.  He 
declined  to  receive  presents  while  in  public  office. 

He  was  as  generous  as  he  was  simple.  We  should  tell 
you  a  story  to  illustrate  this  virtue  of  his  character. 

Among  his  grandchildren  was  a  student  by  the  name  of 
Thomas  Jefferson  Randolph.  He  used  to  go  to  Philadelphia 
to  attend  a  course  of  scientific  lectures.  His  means  were 
restricted,  and  he  carried  a  very  simple  outfit  for  his  student 
life. 

He  went  to  the  city  by  the  way  of  Washington,  and 
he  stopped  there  to  call  on  his  illustrious  grandfather.  Jef- 
ferson saw  at  a  glance  the  purpose  and  the  means  of  the 
ardent  and  worthy  student.  He  wished  at  once  to  better 
provide  for  him,  and  to  do  this  without  wounding  his  pride. 
'  You  will  need  many  things  in  Philadelphia,  my  son," 
said  the  President.  "  I  know  the  wants  of  student  life 
better  than  you.     Come,  let  us  go  out  shopping  together." 

The  student  was  very  much  surprised.   . 

The  President  went  with  his  grandson  from  shop  to 
shop,  and  the  former  purchased  such  things  as  he  thought 
the  latter  would  need. 

They  came  back  and  the  student  repacked  his  trunk  or 
portmanteau.  He  would  never  forget  the  day  when  the 
President  of  the  first  republic  in  the  world  went  shopping 
for  him. 

After  they  had  returned  from  shopping  the  President 
seemed  to  be  anxious  about  some  other  matter. 

"Have  you  a  pocketbook?"  asked  the  President. 

"  Yes,  grandfather." 

"May  I  see  it?" 

The  young  man  handed  his  grandfather  his  pocketbook. 
17 


•2U 


IN   THE   DAYS   OF  JEFFERSON 


•"  It  is  thin,  rather  thin,"  he  thought,  if  he  did  not  use 
the  exact  words. 

He  turned  it  over  and  over,  went  to  his  secretary  per- 


>»atural  Bridge.  Virginia. 

haps  with  it.  and  after  some  little  delay  handed  it  hack  to 
the  student.     It  was  not  thin  then. 

S  it  was  in  the  days  of  Jeffersonian  simplicity.  The 
President's  house  was  the  people's  house,  and  over  it  the 
flag  floated  for  the  people. 

Washington,  the  city  of  the  Potomac  wilderness,  grew. 


"REPUBLICAN  SIMPLICITY"  245 

and  for  eight  years  the  land  had  rest,  the  cities  grew,  and 
farms  grew,  and  the  wonder  of  a  government  by  the  people 
grew.  That  was  a  golden  age,  like  the  age  of  Phoeion  or 
( /incizmatus. 

On  the  mountains  of  the  Blue  Ridge  when  he  rode  to 
the  Natural  Bridge  with  Dabney  Carr,  which  was  now  a 
part  of  one  of  his  own  estates,  he  used  to  wonder,  as  we 
have  shown  you,  what  treasures  of  unexplored  regions  lay 
between  those  mountain  tops  and  the  far  Pacific. 

He  did  everything  in  his  power  to  disclose  the  secrets  of 
the  vast  empire  now.  He  inspired  Astor  to  build  Astoria. 
As  President  he  could  now  do  many  things  that  tended  to 
fulfill  his  visions  when  as  a  youth  he  haunted  the  mountain 
tops  above  the  Rivanna  with  the  poems  of  Ossian  in  his 
head  and  sometimes  with  his  kit  under  his  arms. 

But  there  was  that  restless  boy,  now  a  restless  young 
man,  in  whose  face  was  the  future,  whom  his  heart  could 
not  forget.     It  was  Meriwether  Lewis. 

He  called  him  to  Washington,  and  made  him  his  private 
secretary. 

The  young  man  still  hoped  to  earn  the  golden  horseshoe. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII 

LOUISIANA THE    MABCH    THROUGH    THE    "  DROWNED 

LANDS " 

Selim,  unconsciously  to  himself  and  others,  fulfilled  a 
mission  that  only  those  of  other  times  could  see.  Time  alone 
can  aid  us  in  seeing  influences. 

When  Selim  had  learned  to  talk  English  well  he  became 
a  kind  of  a  wandering  parable — like  the  "  Sir  Knight,"  a 
sign.  He  loved  to  tell  the  story  of  his  plantation  life  in 
Louisiana  when  he  could  speak  but  a  few  words  that  could 
be  understood.  He  desired  for  some  time  to  have  his  re- 
venge on  the  overseer  of  slaves  who  had  dealt  him  the  un- 
fortunate blow  that  had  injured  his  brain.  Subsequent 
experiences  changed  this  feeling,  as  we  shall  see. 

But  his  experience  in  the  river  country  led  him  to  speak 
of  Louisiana  as  a  land  of  wonder.  "What  forests  were  there 
— what  mountains !  If  Virginia  could  settle  the  vast  Louisi- 
ana country,  what  a  state  she  would  be! 

The  Indian  tribes  in  this  country  were  few,  and  they 
were  friendly  until  incited  to  war  against  the  settlers  by 
the  English  themselves. 

Selim  could  read  Greek  well,  and  he  used  to  go  to  Char- 
lotteville  to  study  Greek  books  with  an  old  professor  there. 

Among  the  wonderful  men  of  Virginia — and  how  many 
246 


THE   MARCH   THROUGH  THE    "DROWNED   LANDS"  217 

of  them  there  were!— was  George  Kogers  Clark,  of  whom 
we  have  spoken,  born  in  Albemarle  County,  not  far  from 
Jefferson's  home,  in  1752.  Like  Washington  he  learned 
surveying.  He  was  sent  to  the  river  country  for  the  pacifi- 
cation of  the  Indian  tribes  in  1778. 

The  English  had  incited  the  Indians  to  war.  Clark  took 
possession  of  Vincennes  on  the  Wabash,  as  a  post  for  his  work 
among  the  Indians.  The  commander  of  the  British  post  at 
Detroit  captured  the  place  when  Clark  was  absent. 

To  recapture  the  post  led  Clark  to  make  one  of  the 
most  wonderful  campaigns  in  history.  He  left  the  Ohio 
River  in  the  dead  of  winter  with  one  hundred  and  seventy- 
five  men  to  penetrate  the  wilderness. 

The  expedition  came  to  a  vast  open  country  covered  with 
ice  and  shallow  water.    It  was  called  the  "  Drowned  Lands." 

Nothing  could  hinder  this  resolute  man.  He  looked 
forth  over  the  glimmering  "  Drowned  Lands,"  saw  all  that 
his  men  would  have  to  undergo,  and  led  the  way  into  the 
winter  ice.     The  water  in  some  places  was  three  feet  deep. 

"  We  must  go  on  until  the  water  reaches  our  armpits," 
said  the  intrepid  leader. 

They  found  the  cold  ice  water  so  deep  as  to  reach  to 
their  armpits  at  last,  but  still  they  marched  on. 

The  "  Drowned  Lands "  were  passed  at  last  and  the 
men  found  firm  land  again,  but  hungry  and  chilled.  They 
reached  Vincennes,  February  18,  1779. 

They  blackened  their  faces  with  gunpowder  and  crossed 
the  Wabash. 

When  the  English  and  Indians  saw  this  black  army 
coming  they  were  as  surprised  as  though  it  had  risen  up 
from  the  earth  or  had  come  down  from  the  skies.     They 


248  IN  THE  DAYS  OP  JEFFERSON 

surrendered  on  February  20th,  and  Clark  set  the  Stars  and 
Stripes  over  the  fort,  the  Wabash,  and  the  "  Drowned 
Lands."  It  was  the  march  through  the  "  Drowned  Lands  " 
that  gave  them  the  victory. 

The  work  of  Colonel  Clark  at  last  made  the  frontiers 
safe.  He  accomplished  a  silent  but  decisive  service  for  his 
country  which  was  never  rewarded.  He  died,  like  many 
patriotic  Virginians,  poor  in  purse  but  rich  in  mighty  influ- 
ences. When  Virginia  voted  him  a  sword  he  said,  "  I 
needed  bread." 

His  wars  with  the  Indians  did  not  end  his  influence.  He 
had  a  brother  who  began  to  dream  of  the  wonderful  terri- 
tory of  Louisiana.  When  the  war  of  the  Revolution  ended 
the  people  inquired  much  about  the  resources  of  the  valley 
of  the  Mississippi. 

Jefferson,  who  had  dreamed  of  this  vast  empire  as  he 
saw  the  sun  going  down  from  his  mountain  home,  was  re- 
awakened to  its  value  now.  He  could  talk  with  Dabney 
Carr  no  longer.  He  had  fulfilled  his  young  friend's  hope 
of  declaring  the  rights  of  man,  but  another  destiny  hung 
over  him.  He  saw  America's  opportunity  as  Washington 
had  done.  What  might  not  the  United  States  become  if 
they  could  honorably  possess  the  Mississippi  Valley  and  the 
Pacific  mountains? 

The  legend  of  the  Golden  Horseshoe  followed  him.  The 
wanderings  of  Selim  with  his  wonder  tales,  the  work  of 
George  Rogers  Clark,  and  the  thrilling  tales  of  independent 
travelers  and  the  French  voyageurs  on  the  Mississippi  were 
as  foregleams.  One  thing  Jefferson  had  done:  he  had  begun 
the  emancipation  of  mankind;  another  thing  he  now  desired 
to  do:  it  was  to  add  to  the  new  nation  of  independent  men 


THE  MARCH  THROUGH  THE  "DROWNED  LANDS"  249 

the  midcontinental  territory,  and  to  lead  a  movement  that 
would  make  the  Pacific  and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  the  natural 
outlines  of  the  Federal  Union,  the  real  boundaries  of  the 
federation.  The  new  nation  must  extend  from  the  Atlantic 
to  the  Pacific.  Jefferson  saw  it,  and  he  was  ready  to  hail 
the  hour  when  this  could  be  done  with  justice  and  honor. 

The  day  was  coming.  Right  purposes  wait  fulfillment, 
but  the  hope  of  the  author  of  the  Preamble  was  not  long  to 
be  deferred.  The  strange  events  in  Europe  were  preparing 
the  way  for  American  extension,  and  would  soon  open  the 
door. 

After  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution  by  the  States 
Louisiana  was  the  march  of  destiny;  but  it  must  be  accom- 
plished in  honor,  with  justice  to  all.  The  flag  must  be  for- 
ever the  safeguard  of  the  free. 

The  colonies  were  States  now,  and  the  States  were  free, 
but  their  boundaries  did  not  stretch  from  sea  to  sea.  He  had 
fulfilled  the  prophecy  of  the  Golden  Horseshoe  only  in  part. 

The  west  was  a  waiting  world. 

His  young  secretary,  Meriwether  Lewis,  was  still  rest- 
less. He  wished  to  explore  the  vast  country,  and  to  earn 
the  golden  horseshoe. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII 

"  THE    LOUISIANA    PEECHA>E  " 

The  vast  empire  on  the  Mississippi  River  which  was 
once  known  as  the  Floridas,  called  now  Louisiana,  had  been 
ceded  by  Spain  to  France,  and  Xapoleon  Bonaparte,  First 
Consul,  in  effect  dictator  of  France,  desired  to  settle  this 
French  territory,  to  fortify  the  island  of  Xew  Orleans, 
and  to  control  the  navigation  of  the  Mississippi  River.  He 
prepared  an  expedition  to  go  to  this  territory  and  to  begin 
a  new  empire  for  France.  There  were  then  some  eighty 
to  ninety  thousand  inhabitants  in  the  territory,  of  which 
the  present  State  of  Louisiana  then  formed  an  important 
part. 

The  middle  West  was  growing. 

The  control  of  the  Mississippi  by  a  foreign  power,  with 
a  military  port  at  Xew  Orleans,  alarmed  the  people  on  the 
Ohio.  Cumberland,  and  Missouri  Rivers.  Should  France 
be  able  to  prevent  in  time  of  war  their  commerce  from 
going  to  the  Gulf,  or  to  exact  tariffs  in  time  of  peace? 

One  sentiment  filled  the  hearts  of  far-seeing  Americans 
— America  must  control  the  Mississippi. 

Jefferson  saw  this.  The  peaceable  acquirement  of  the 
empire  through  which  flowed  the  Mississippi  became  the 

one  thought  of  his  life.     Xot  to  control  the  Mississippi  and 

"  -250 


"THE  LOUISIANA   PURCHASE"  251 

its  commerce  gathering  arms  was  to  be  menaced  by  a  for- 
eign power  in  the  expanding  parts  of  the  United  States. 

It  was  manifest  destiny  that  the  United  States  should 
control  her  river  system. 

How? 

Jefferson  loved  pacific  measures  and  justice  always,  and 
he  hoped  that  the  empire  might  be  acquired  by  purchase. 

But  the  Constitution  seemed  defective  in  enabling  him 
to  so  fulfill  the  will  of  the  people.  It  would  be  the  "  con- 
sent of  the  governed  "  to  secure  this  territory,  as  the  Ameri- 
can settlers  on  the  Mississippi  desired,  it  was  thought,  to 
unite  their  fortunes  with  the  United  States.  But  Na- 
poleon's ambition  now  was  to  make  a  military  empire  on  the 
mighty  river,  and  he  was  preparing  to  do  it  on  a  colossal 
plan. 

Before  his  plans  had  matured  war  broke  out  between 
England  and  France.  Napoleon  needed  money  for  the  war. 
To  wage  war  successfully  with  England  was  now  a  vastly 
greater  event  than  the  settlement  of  a  foreign  empire  in 
America. 

Mr.  Jefferson  instructed  his  minister  in  France  to  do 
his  uttermost  to  secure  the  purchase  of  the  Louisiana  terri- 
tory at  this  critical  time.  He  saw  the  opportunity,  knew 
that  the  sentiment  of  the  people  was  with  him,  and  that 
the  nation  would  sustain  him  in  securing  so  great  results 
at  the  critical  hour.  He  resolved  to  follow  the  unwritten 
law  and  to  secure,  if  possible,  the  French  territory  by  pur- 
chase.    It  was  an  hour  of  destiny;  he  must  art. 

"  In  Europe  nothing  but  Europe  is  seen,"  wrote  Jeffer- 
son to  one  whom  he  had  asked  to  act  in  the  interests  of  the 
United    States   in    France.      This    is    largely   true    to-day. 


252  £N   TIIE   DAYS   OF  JEFFERSON 

Louisiana  faded  from  the  dreams  of  Napoleon  and  the  con- 
quest of  England  rose  in  his  ambitions;  to  this  everything 
should  be  tributary;  to  subdue  England  was  to  conquer  the 
world.  To  sell  Louisiana  was  not  only  to  gain  money,  but 
to  prevent  England  from  attacking  Xew  Orleans. 

Mr.  Livingston,  the  American  minister  to  Paris,  was 
assiduous  in  asking  for  a  treaty  which  would  secure  Xew 
Orleans  as  a  port  of  the  United  States,  so  as  to  hold  and 
protect  the  American  commerce  of  the  river.  Into  such  a 
negotiation  entered  Mr.  Monroe,  of  the  Virginia  Horseshoe 
ideal,  afterward  President,  who  had  been  sent  to  Paris  by 
President  Jefferson. 

Xapoleon  listened  willingly  to  these  claims  at  last. 

One  day  Mr.  Livingston  was  surprised  to  hear  ML  De- 
bois,  Xapoleon's  representative  in  the  matter,  announce: 

"  Xapoleon  is  willing  to  treat  with  the  American  repre- 
sentatives for  the  sale  of  the  whole  of  Louisiana." 

How  did  Xapoleon  arrive  at  this  decision? 

He  had  considered  the  matter  long.  He  did  not  part 
with  the  scheme  for  the  colonial  empire  willingly  at  first, 
but  he  did  so  with  enthusiasm  in  the  end.  The  price  of 
Louisiana  would,  in  his  view,  help  render  invincible  his 
armament  against  England;  and  to  humble  England  was 
more  than  any  other  thing. 

Here  is  the  story  of  the  pivotal  hour: 

In  the  dark  of  a  certain  morning,  April  11,  1803,  Xa- 
poleon summoned  the  Marquis  Barbe  de  Marhois,  who  had 
been  a  member  of  the  Erench  legation  at  Washington,  into 
his  presence.  lie  had  received  news  from  England  through 
t}ie  secret  service.  England  was  preparing  for  mighty  war: 
the  hammers  were  ringing  in  her  dockyards;  her  fleets  were 


"THE  LOUISIANA  PURCHASE"  253 

manoeuvring  oh  the  sea;  statesmen  were  thundering  defi- 
ance.    A  contest  of  nations  was  at  hand. 

Napoleon  was  excited  in  that  dark  morning  hour.  His 
language,  as  reported  by  Marbois,  was  like  the  ringing  of 
a  trumpet. 

>k  I  renounce  Louisiana,"  said  he.  "  It  is  not  only  New 
Orleans  I  will  cede,  it  is  the  whole  colony,  without  any  res- 
ervation. I  know  the  value  of  what  I  abandon.  The  price 
of  all  these  things  is  due  to  us,  and  must  be  paid.  Still,  I 
will  be  moderate,  in  consideration  of  the  necessity  which 
compels  me  to  make  the  sale.  But  keep  this  to  yourself. 
I  want  fifty  million  francs,"  he  continued,  "  and  for  less 
than  that  sum  I  will  not  treat.  To-morrow  you  shall  have 
your  full  powers." 

He  said  to  his  ministers: 

"  It  is  my  intention  to  cede  Louisiana  to  the  United 
States.  I  have  not  a  moment  to  lose  in  putting  it  out  of  the 
power  of  the  British  to  seize  New  Orleans  and  assert  their 
claim  to  the  whole  of  North  America  west  of  the  Missis- 
sippi. Indeed  I  can  hardly  say  that  I  do  cede  it,  for  it  is 
not  as  yet  in  our  possession.  If,  however,  I  leave  the  least 
time  to  our  enemies  I  shall  only  transmit  an  empty  title  to 
those  republicans,  whose  friendship  I  seek. 

"  They  only  ask  me,"  he  continued  softly,  "  a  single 
haven  in  Louisiana;  but  I  look  upon  the  colony  as  already 
and  irretrievably  lost.  It  appears  to  me  that  in  the  hands 
of  this  young  power  it  will  be  more  useful  to  the  policy  of 
France  than  if  I  should  attempt  to  keep  it." 

"  Sire,  can  you  sell  nations?  "  asked  Marbois,  whose  con- 
science had  been  quickened  by  residence  in  the  States. 

It  was  a  bold  question. 


054  ™   THE   DAYS   OF   JEFFERSON 

Xapoleon  replied  with  raillery: 

"  You  are  giving  me,  in  all  its  perfection,  the  ideology 
of  the  law  of  nature  and  nations;  but  I  require  money  to 
make  war  on  the  richest  nation  in  the  world.  Send  your 
maxims  to  the  London  market.  I  am  sure  they  will  be 
greatly  admired  there;  and  yet  no  great  attention  is  paid 
to  them  when  the  British  occupation  of  the  finest  regions 
of  Asia  is  in  question." 

Marbois  met  the  American  agents  and  secured  sixty 
million  francs,  instead  of  the  fifty  million  asked. 

"  You  should  have  secured  eighty  million,"  said  Xa- 
poleon,  whose  ambitions  were  never  satisfied. 

He  saw  in  part  the  future. 

"  This  accession  of  territory  strengthens  forever  the 
power  of  the  United  States,  and  I  have  hereby  given  to 
England  a  maritime  rival  who  will  sooner  or  later  humble 
her  pride." 

The  position  of  Jefferson  in  this  matter  was  peculiar, 
and  it  is  one  that  to-day  is  much  discussed  by  debating 
bodies.  The  Constitution  did  not  seem  to  warrant  his  mak- 
ing this  treaty  so  advantageous  to  America,  nor  did  it  fur- 
bid  it. 

Some  of  the  people  of  the  territory  may  have  wished 

to  continue  the  French  rule,  but  there  would  be  no  pro- 

-    against  the  change  to  America  from  the  people  as  a 

whole.     The  change  did  not  in  this  respect  violate  the  grand 

words  of  the  Declaration. 

The  people  of  America  as  a  whole  would  hail  the  treaty 
with  rejoicing.     Congress  sustained  Jefferson. 

There  were  certain  statesmen  who  belonged  to  the  Fed- 
eral party,  to  which  Washington  had  belonged,  but  which 


"THE   LOUISIANA   PURCHASE"  255 

had  now  been  defeated  by  the  Republican  party  of  pro- 
gressive ideas,  who  would  criticise  the  treaty  on  the  ground 
that  a  president  should  never  act  without  constitutional  au- 
thority. They  would  argue  if  a  noble  president  could  do 
this  for  worthy  ends,  an  ambitious  president  could  do  so 
for  unworthy  ends. 

This  argument  would  have  force,  but  the  people  knew 
that  Jefferson  was  acting  from  conscience  and  a  love  for 
the  welfare  of  the  nations  and  of  the  future,  and  not  from 
any  ambitious  ends. 

They  could  trust  the  farmer  President,  who  asked  every- 
thing for  others  and  nothing  for  himself.  He  was  giving 
himself  to  humanity,  as  we  will  be  proud  to  repeat;  he 
left  Virginia  rich  to  die  poor;  he  put  no  empty  words  into 
the  great  Declaration. 

The  boundaries  of  Louisiana  were  unknown.  To  make 
a  draft  of  the  treaty  it  was  necessary  to  use  the  old  descrip- 
tion of  the  Spanish  treaty  with  France  ceding  the  territory, 
as  indicating  dimensions. 

So  came  to  the  United  States  the  Mississippi  empire  and 
the  Mississippi  Valley,  which  was  to  blossom  with  cities  and 
help  feed  the  world.  So  it  was  that  the  great  system  of 
American  rivers  was  made  free. 

Pabney  Carr,  Jefferson,  Patrick  Henry,  and  James 
Monroe  had  indeed  fulfilled  the  suggestion  of  the  Golden 
Horseshoe. 

Madison  followed  Jefferson  in  the  presidency  in  1809, 
and  in  him  was  completed  the  forest  dream  to  the  Sign, 
the  Sir  Knight  of  the  Golden  Horseshoe. 


CHAPTER  XXXIX 


HOME    AGAES" 


Petee  (  "aee.  a  v.-iung  man  now.  was  waiting:  by  the 
brook  again. 

The  heart  of  Jefferson  was  always  returning  home.  Hi- 
wife  had  been  a  noble  and  lovely  woman;  he  had  refused 
a  foreign  appointment  for  her  sake  when  she  was  ill.  His 
two  families  of  children  were  close  to  his  heart;  all  of  his 
great  company  of  slaves  loved  him.  Slaves  they  were  not 
to  him;  his  soul  was  full  of  plans  to  free  all  the  slaves 
in  the  colon:  - 

After  the  Louisiana  purchase  his  heart  turned  home 
again.  He  had  told  his  family  how  he  had  written  the 
Declaration  on  a  former  visit,  and  had  heard  them  read  his 
words  by  the  household  fires.  No  praise  is  like  that  of 
home. 

The  people  had  hoped  that  he  would  be  another  G 
ernor  Spotswood  of  the  Golden  Horseshoe.     He  had  now 
fulfilled  the  glowing  visions  of  the  trooping  Governor. 

He  would  meet  the  old  Knight  again. 

It  would  make  his  heart  glad  to  tell  the  story  of  the 
purchase  to  Peter  Carr. 

If  he  were  to  meet  Selim  by  the  way.  or  Elder  Leland. 
who  sometimes  was  expected  back,  it  would  be  supreme 


HOME   AGAIN  257 

moments  of  happiness  to  gladden  them  by  the  news.  He 
had  gained  the  rivers. 

And  Ginseng — how  the  news  of  the  purchase  would 
thrill  his  heart!     He  had  seen  the  rivers. 

So  a  post  was  sent  to  Peter  Carr:  "  I  am  coming  home 
during  the  holidays.    Expect  me.    Meet  me  on  the  road." 

Peter  Carr  watched  for  his  uncle's  return  during  the 
mild  December  days.  He  had  told  the  slaves  the  news,  and 
they  were  making  green  garlands.  The  old  slave  women 
were  doing  their  best  at  the  ovens,  for  "  Massa  Jefferson  was 
comin'  back." 

The  news  ran  through  the  forests  as  on  mental  wires. 

Peter  Can*  rode  down  the  mountain  day  by  day  and 
watched  for  the  President's  horse  at  a  brook  by  the  way- 
side. Witch-hazels  grew  there  that  bloomed  in  the  fall. 
There  violets  appeared  early  in  the  spring. 

The  young  man  had  seen  Jefferson  ride  away  for  Phila- 
delphia, and  had  met  him  on  the  road  on  his  return  and 
heard  him  tell  the  secret  of  his  heart:  that  he  had  written 
the  Preamble  with  his  own  hand. 

He  had  seen  him  ride  away  to  be  inaugurated  President, 
and  never  had  his  heart  so  glowed  with  admiration  as  then. 

He  was  coining  back  again  —  he  whom  the  Western 
World  delighted  to  honor,  and  whom  it  filled  his  young 
manly  heart  with  joy  to  love. 

An  old  man  came  down  a  cross  road  on  horseback  with 
a  crutch  under  his  arm.     It  was  the  ancient  Sir  Knight. 

"  You  are  waiting  for  Governor  Spotswood,"  said  he 
to  Peter.  "  So  am  I,  and  I  always  thought  I  would  live 
to  see  him  coming  back  again." 

"  The  President  you  mean,"  said  Peter. 


258  EN   THE   DAYS   OF   JEFFERSON 

"Ah,  yes— the  President.  Who  did  I  say?  I  will 
hasten  up  the  hill  to  meet  him.  He  is  on  his  way.  I  heard 
so  at  Charlotte.  I  didn't  know  that  I  would  ever  be  able  to 
ride  again,  but  I  rind  I  can.  I  will  hurry  up  the  hill  90  as 
to  be  there  when  he  comes." 

As  Peter  Carr  was  riding  up  and  down  the  way  near 
the  brook  at  the  close  of  a  still  December  day  he  saw  a 
movement  in  a  cluster  of  bushes.  Was  a  deer  there  f  He 
rode  near  the  place,  but  the  bushes  stood  still. 

A  horse  appeared  in  the  lonely  way. 

"  He  is  coming!  "  said  Peter  Carr. 

The  bushes  began  to  shake  again.     Their  tops  rustled. 

"  Who  is  coming,  friend  Peter'  " 

It  was  the  voice  of  an  Indian.  It  came  from  the  bushes. 
A  shadowy  form  came  out  of  the  bushes  and  peered  up  the 
way.     It  was  Ginseng.     He  was  watching,  too. 

Peter  Carr  rode  up  the  way  to  meet  his  uncle.  What 
news  might  he  be  bringing  now? 

The  two  horsemen  met  in  the  road. 

*'  I  have  good  news  for  you.  Peter."  said  the  President. 
"  It  is  a  secret  in  Washington.  Louisiana  is  ours.  So  I 
feel  like  Governor  Spotswood  coming  back  again." 

"  That  will  make  your  name  a  star  forever."  said  the 
young  man.  "  I  am  so  glad — not  on  account  of  the  glory 
that  it  will  bring  you,  but  because  father  loved  you.  The 
news  makes  me  happy — happy  for  life.  There  are  some 
things  make  us  happy  for  life." 

The  two  rode  up  the  hill.  The  chimneys  were  smoking 
there.  A  conch  shell  blew  behind  them  as  from  the  air. 
It  was  Ginseng.  The  sound  of  the  conch  shell  echoed  on 
the  lulls  covered  with  bare  trees. 


HOME  AGAIN  259 

As  Jefferson  approached  the  portico  he  found  the  slaves 
waiting  to  receive  him.  There  were  twice  forty  arms  and 
half  as  many  beating  hearts  gathered  about  his  door,  im- 
patient to  inclose  him  in  a  circle.  Home  lights  gleamed  in 
all  the  rooms.     Every  one  seemed  more  than  happy. 

Amid  the  thrilling  company  the  ancient  Sir  Knight  of 
the  Golden  Horseshoe  appeared,  bent  and  leaning  on  his 
cane.     He  held  in  his  trembling  hand  a  silver  snuffbox. 

Jefferson  dismounted,  to  be  covered  with  kisses,  em- 
braces, and  welcomes.  He  was  almost  borne  into  the  house 
by  loving  arms. 

"  We  will  have  a  family  singing  to-night,"  said  his 
daughter,  "  and  you  shall  again  play  the  violin  as  of  old." 

As  he  stood  in  the  great  room  before  the  crackling  fire 
the  ancient  Sir  Knight  held  out  to  Jefferson  the  silver 
snuffbox. 

"  President  Jefferson,"  said  he. 

"  I  am  farmer  Jefferson  here,"  said  the  President.  "  T 
would  rather  be  farmer  Jefferson  than  to  have  all  the  titles 
of  Europe."  * 

"  Earmer  Jefferson,"  said  the  ancient  rider,  "  you  do 
well  to  say  that.  You  have  done  well  in  life  so  far.  I  hope 
that  I  will  live  to  see  you  come  home  some  day  and  form 
an  expedition  to  follow  the  good  example  of  the  old  Vir- 
ginia rider.  I  saw  you  start  out  to  be  President.  I  hope 
I  will  live  to  see  you  turn  your  horse's  head  toward  the 
West — Governor  Spotswood's  way.  My  limbs  are  totter- 
ing; I  must  be  past  my  hundredth  year.  Governor  Spots- 
wood  saw  the  Alleghanies.      I  want  you  to  lead  a  troop 

*  Jefferson's  own  words  on  a  like  occasion. 
18 


260  IN  THE  DAYS  OF  JEFFERSON 

toward  the  Mississippi.  America  must  have  Louisiana.  I 
do  not  feel  that  I  can  die  until  then,  though  I  am  a  hundred 
years  old." 

"  My  good  friend,  rider  with  Governor  Spotswood,  I 
have  come  home  to  tell  a  state  secret  this  time.  I  have  been 
wanting  that  you  should  hear  it — Louisiana  is  ours." 

The  old  man  raised  his  hands. 

"  Then  I  will  go  home  to-morrow  and  die.  But,  Thomas 
Jefferson,  let  me  hear  you  play  the  violin  once  more — - 
let  me  hear  you  play  one  of  the  preachers'  songs  as  you 
used  to  do." 

"  I  will  be  the  servant  to  you  all  after  tea.  Let  me 
sit  down  to  the  table  beside  you,  Sir  Knight.  You  have 
inspired  me." 

The  rooms  were  filled  with  lights  after  the  meal. 

Jefferson  took  up  his  violin  again  from  where  he  had 
laid  it  down  when  years  before  Peter  Carr  had  welcomed 
him  back  from  his  public  service,  waiting  for  him  in  the 
valley. 

lie  played  for  the  delighted  old  Knight  one  of  the  forest 
melodies,  such  as  Elder  Leland  used  to  sing,  then  Mozart's 
beautiful  music  as  before,  and  ended  with  the  always  charm- 
ing Don  Giovanni  minuet,  when  he  found  himself  amid 
beating  hearts  encircled  in  the  arms  of  his  family  again. 

"  I  long  for  the  time,"  he  said,  "  when  I  can  come  back 
and  live  with  you  all,  and  be  a  common  farmer.  To  be  a 
farmer  after  having  served  the  state  is  my  dearest  wish  in 
life.  It  is  the  best  estate  in  all  the  world.  I  am  happy  to- 
night. In  a  few  years  I  can  come  Tiome;  my  heart  has 
never  left  it." 

The  ancient  Knight  looked  up  to  him  and  said: 


HOME  AGAIN  261 

'  You  are  Governor  Spotswood  come  back  again."  He 
tottered  to  the  door.  "  I  am  so  happy  for  what  I  have  lived 
to  see  that  I  think  I  shall  never  see  you  again.  The  world 
is  going  away  from  me  fast,  and  I  am  willing  to  go  to 
whatever  awaits  me."  He  lingered.  Then  he  touched 
his  forehead,  and  said,  "  What  was  it?    Oh — 

"  A  golden  horsesttoe  I  gave  to  thee. 
The  whole  of  America  must  be  free, 
And  safe  from  Europe  ever  be. 

'Tis  so  we  cross  the  mountains." 

He  clutched  the  side  of  the  half-open  door.  "  Farmer 
Jefferson,  whatever  became  of  that  boy  we  mot  in  the 
woods?    He  had  a  good  name — Meriwether." 

4*  I  have  sent  him  with  the  brother  of  my  old  friend 
Clark  to  explore  the  river  country — Louisiana — from  ocean 
to  ocean.  Lewis  and  Clark  are  to  lead  an  expedition  all 
the  way  to  the  Pacific  Ocean." 

"  Farmer  Jefferson,  you  will  have  to  protect  this  vast 
empire  from  Europe." 

"  So  I  have  said  to  James  Monroe,"  said  the  President. 

"  Farmer  Jefferson,  those  two  adopted  boys  of  yours 
may  be  presidents  yet.  I  saw7  destiny  in  them  when  I  gave 
them  golden  horseshoes.  My  Knights  are  all  doing  well. 
I  used  to  say,  'I  wonder,  oh,  I  wonder!  '  I  wonder  now 
that  I  should  ever  have  said  that.  They  were  words  of 
doubt.     Doubt  does  not  become  a  Knight.     I  am  going." 

The  door  closed  behind  him,  and  a  negro  led  him  to  his 
horse. 

He  came  back  again,  holding  a  golden  horseshoe  in  his 
thin  hand. 

"  I  refused  a  horseshoe  to  the  boy  Meriwether  Lewis." 


262  EN   THE   DAYS   OF   JEFFERSON 

be  said,  *'  because  he  was  a  boy.  But  he  shall  have  one 
now.  I  leave  it  here  in  trust.  It  is  he  who  is  going  to  remap 
America,  and  to  help  make  Governor  Spotswood's  dreams 
come  true.  The  Governor  rode  but  a  little  way:  he  will  ride 
all  the  way,  and  see  the  waters  that  llow  into  the  Pacific. 

"  What  would  the  Governor  have  said  to  have  seen  those 
rivers?  Nations  will  settle  there.  Ho,  ho,  ho!  the  greater 
America  lies  beyond  the  Mississippi  River.  There  lies  the 
East  again — there  China  and  India. 

"  Suggestion  is  extension,  and  who  may  limit  that?  Do 
not  say  that  I  have  had  no  work  in  the  world  to  do.  I  have 
ridden  over  Virginia,  and  with  me  has  ridden  the  thoughts 
that  have  come  to  pass.  I  shall  stable  my  horse  and  hang 
up  my  bridle  now." 

He  closed  the  door  again,  leaving  the  horseshoe. 

"  Let  me  help  you,"  said  a  colored  servant. 

But  he  mounted  the  horse  and  disappeared  in  the  forest. 

The  horseshoe  never  gladdened  the  heart  of  Meri- 
wether. 

The  explorer  showed  the  world  the  western  empire,  but 
he  had  sensitive  nerves,  and  the  "  sword  was  too  sharp  for 
the  scabbard."  He  was  returning  from  his  great  expedi- 
tion, when  a  dispatch  brought  by  a  courier  caused  him  great 
anxiety,  and  he  sunk  down  under  the  nervous  shock  and  his 
young  life  went  out. 

He  was  one  of  the  six  men  who  fulfilled  the  idea  and 
ideal  of  the  great  Virginia  Governor. 

Suggestions  are  seeds — they  grow.  One  wave  lifts  an- 
other: one  taper  lights  a  thousand  lamps;  one  blast  of  the 
bugle  sends  an  army  to  victory. 

TTe  live  in  others,  and  we  repeat  for  this  a  purpos 


HOME   AGAIN 


2G3 


our  story — that  no  true  ideal  is  ever  lost.  An  empire  was 
the  end  of  the  mountain  ride  of  the  Virginia  Governor,  and 
his  Golden  Horseshoe  is  a  theme  forever  worthy  of  historian, 
poet,  and  painter. 

Liberty  made  Spotswood's  final  ride  in  the  person  of 
Meriwether  Lewis  possible,  and  his  look  toward  the  west 
from  the  mountain  peak  on  which  he 
wrote  his  King's  name  gave  him  a 
thought  whose  extension  was  a  new 
America. 

In  1823  James  Monroe  asked  Jef- 
ferson, now  long  in  retirement,  "  Shall 
I  announce  the  doctrine  of  the  non- 
interference of  Europe  in  American 
affairs?  " 

Jefferson  answered :  "  That  is  the 
most  momentous  question  since  the 
Declaration  of  Independence.  That 
made  us  a  nation ;  this  sets  our  compass 
and  points  the  course  which  we  are  to  steer  through  the 
ocean  of  time  opening  on  us.  And  never  could  we  embark 
upon  it  under  circumstances  more  auspicious.  Our  first  and 
fundamental  maxim  should  be  never  to  entangle  ourselves 
in  the  broils  of  Europe;  our  second,  never  to  suffer  Europe 
to  intermeddle  with  cisatlantic  affairs.  America,  North  and 
South,  has  a  set  of  interests  distinct  from  those  of  Europe, 
and  peculiarly  her  own.  She  should,  therefore,  have  a 
system  of  her  own,  separate  and  apart  from  that  of  Europe. 
AVhile  the  last  is  laboring  to  become  the  domicile  of  despot- 
ism, our  endeavor  should  be  to  make  our  hemisphere  that 
of  freedom." 


264  IN  THE  DAYS  OF  JEFFERSON 

So  the  "  Monroe  doctrine  "  was  proclaimed,  and  Amer- 
ica was  made  safe  from  European  dictation. 

Aaron  Burr,  the  Vice-President  with  Jefferson,  at- 
tempted to  establish  an  independent  empire  in  Louisiana! 
and  was  arrested  and  tried  for  treason.  Judge  Marshall 
sat  at  the  trial,  and  his  unselfish  spirit  calmed  the  excite- 
ments of  the  times.  Randolph,  of  Roanoke,  criticised  Jef- 
ferson; but  his  fierce  words  softened  at  last,  and  ended  in 
praise. 

After  these  events  there  followed  years  of  prosperity, 
interrupted  somewhat  by  the  embargo  and  the  "War  of 
1S12.  But  the  administrations  of  Jefferson,  Madison,  and 
Monroe  are  looked  back  to  as  among  the  golden  eras  of  the 
republic.  Those  were  times  of  pure  and  simple  democracy, 
twenty-four  years  in  which  the  influence  of  Jefferson  lived 
— years  of  republican  simplicity. 


CHAPTER  XL 

selim's  ride  in  a  sedan  chaik 

Selim  became  a  wanderer  at  times — a  pilgrim.  He 
visited  the  planters  and  was  made  welcome  to  their  estates. 
If  he  had  one  home  more  than  another  it  was  a  windmill 
on  the  estate  of  John  Page,  who  was  one  of  the  early 
friends  of  Jefferson.  He  had  a  great  affection  for  John 
Page,  who  had  a  feeling  heart,  and  when  Mr.  Page  went 
to  the  Continental  Congress  at  Philadelphia  he  followed 
him  all  the  way  there.  He  was  as  a  parable  to  Jefferson,  for 
he  illustrated  what  latent  worth  there  may  be  in  a  man. 

There  lived  in  Virginia  many  patriots  whose  noble  char- 
acters have  not  been  made  well  known  outside  of  their  own 
neighborhoods.  They  sacrificed  all  they  had  for  the  cause 
of  liberty,  and  looked  for  no  reward.  Among  those  noble 
men  was  Thomas  Nelson,  of  Yorktown,  one  of  the  signers  of 
the  Declaration  of  Independence,  who  pledged  his  wealth 
to  the  patriotic  cause  so  liberally  that  he  himself  died  poor. 

John  Hancock  wrote  to  Washington  during  the  siege 
of  Boston,  "  Burn  Boston  if  need  be,  and  leave  John  Han- 
cock a  beggar."  Mr.  Nelson  sent  a  message  to  Lafayette, 
during  the  siege  of  Yorktown,  when  his  stately  mansion 
had  fallen  within  the  British  lines,  "  Destroy  my  house  if 
it  shelter  the  enemies  of  my  country." 

265 


266 


IX  THE   DAYS   OF   JEFFERSON 


Lady  Xelson,  a  lovely  woman,  who  lived  to  be  ninety 
years  old,  had  a  sedan  chair.  The  chair  had  shafts  or  poles 
in  the  old-time  way,  and  two  men  used  to  carry  it  by  these 
shafts  or  poles.  It  was  in  this  manner  that  the  good  lady 
was  carried  about  Yorktown  in  her  handsome  dress.  It  was 
considered  a  very  dignihed  custom  to  ride  in  a  sedan  chair. 
The  men  at  the  poles  took  it  up  and  put  it  down  at  the  order 
of  the  person  who  rode  in  it,  and  so  be- 
came a  kind  of  human  horses.  They 
dressed  in  picturesque  way.  as  became 
their  station  in  the  service  of  people  of 
quality.  The  sedan  chair  used  to  be 
given  a  place  before  the  house:  it  was 
not  stabled. 

Selim  in  his  wanderings  came  to 
the  stately  house  of  **  Governor  Nel- 
son," as  the  patriot  was  called,  and 
seems  to  have  been  greatly  interested 
in  the  sedan  chair.  He  had  probably 
seen  such  curious  vehicles  abroad  in  his  travels. 

The  people  kindly  treated  Selim  when  he  visited  the 
Yorktown  home  of  the  Nelsons,  and  wished  him  to  meet 
good  "  Lady  Nelson,"  as  the  wife  of  the  patriot  was  called. 
■'  Go  in.  go  in.  the  lady  will  welcome  yon,"  said  they. 
"  She  has  heard  of  you — how  you  went  over  the  sea  to 
preach  to  your  kin." 

"My  head,  my  head!"  said  Selim.  "God  save  you! 
God  save  her!  But  trouble  dwells  in  houses,  and  Selim  car- 
ries everywhere  a  pain  in  his  head.  It  came  from  the  blow. 
I  could  not  bear  it  but  for  Christ's  sake.  I  can  bear  every- 
thing for  his  sak- .-." 


Thomas  Nelson. 


SELIM'S  RIDE  IN  A   SEDAN  CHAIR  267 

The  servants  gathered  around  hhn,  the  work  people, 
white  and  black. 

Two  men  in  the  service  of  the  household  came  into  the 
yard.  They  knew  that  Lady  Nelson  would  like  to  have  a 
talk  with  Selim. 

"  Get  into  the  chair,  Selim,"  said  they — "  get  into  the 
chair,  and  let  us  carry  you  around." 

They  seated  him  in  the  chair.  How  odd  he  looked,  like 
a  dervish  or  an  Oriental  patriarch! 

They  lifted  him  and  bore  him  about  among  the  trees 
in  a  kind  of  triumphal  march. 

Presently  they  turned  and  entered  the  house,  and  sat 
clown  the  sedan  chair  and  Selim  in  the  apartments  of  Lady 
Nelson.     Selim  was  greatly  surprised. 

The  good  woman  was  delighted  to  find  Selim  within 
doors.  She  welcomed  him  graciously.  He  was  like  a  Chris- 
tian martyr  to  her. 

What  would  he  say  to  her? 

The  people  all  wondered  what  he  would  do. 

Selim  felt  the  kindly  feeling  in  the  hearts  of  the  people 
around  him.  It  made  him  happy.  His  heart  glowed;  he 
must  sing. 

There  was  a  song  that  he  loved.  It  appeared  in  a  little 
book  which  was  very  popular  at  that  time — Watts's  Divine 
and  Moral  Songs.  He  had  learned  it  and  its  simple  music, 
and  he  sang  it  when  he  was  very  happy. 

He  rose  up  from  the  sedan  chair,  lifted  his  hands,  and 
turned  his  face  upward  and  filled  the  mansion  with  this 
song,  which  began,  "  How  glorious  is  our  Heavenly  King!  " 

His  voice  was  full  of  emotion;  his  spirit  seemed  to  feel 
every  word  and  to  know  the  power  of  the  Divine  Being  to 


268 


IX  THE   DAYS   OF   JEFFERSOX 


wham  be  was  singing.     The  people  all  felt  that  the  spirit 
of  God  was  in  the  song. 

"  We  have  never  heard  the  hymn  sung  like  that  before," 
said  Lady  Xelson  and  all  the  good  people. 

He  went  out  into  the  open  air  after  the  song  to  ease  the 
pain  in  bis  brain,  but  Lady  Xelson  dreamed  that  she  had 
been  visited  by  a  messenger  from  another  world. 

John  Page,  who  was  born  to  the  plantation  aristocracy, 
owned  the  largest  and  probably  the 
most  beautiful  house  in  Virginia. 

This  house  was  situated  on  the 
York  River,  and  the  estate  was 
called  Rosewell.  Mr.  Page  at  first 
was  a  royalist,  and,  strangely 
enough,  he  was  a  candidate  for 
( rovernoi  against  Jefferson.  Jef- 
ferson  was  elected,  and  their  po- 
litical differences  did  not  break 
their  friendship. 

Jefferson  was  a  friend  for  all 
weathers.  He  liked  to  visit  Mr. 
Page  at  the  stately  mansion  looking  down  on  the  York 
River.  On  the  top  of  the  house  there  was  a  kind  of 
roof  garden.  Jefferson  and  Page  used  to  spend  evenings 
here  in  the  cool  under  the  moon  and  stars  and  talk  reli- 
gious philosophy.  After  Jefferson  became  President  Page 
himself  was  elected  Governor  of  Virginia.  He  had  long 
before  accepted  Jefferson's  views  of  political  life. 

Governor  Page  had  a  kindly  heart,  and  it  won 
Selim. 

One  evening,  as  the  two  statesmen  were  talking,  possibly 


The  crescent  moon! 


SELIM'S  RIDE  IN  A   SEDAN  CHAIR  269 

of  the  philosophy  of  Leibnitz,  or  on  some  kindred  topic,  a 
dark  face  appeared  above  the  roof. 

It  was  Selim.  He  had  brought  up  some  fruit  for  the 
philosophers.  He  uncovered  his  head  and  said,  "  God  save 
ye,  gentlemen,"  set  down  the  fruit,  and  pointed  to  the  sky. 

"  The  crescent  moon!  "  said  he.  "  The  morning  moon 
that  I  used  as  sign  language  in  the  Shenandoah  was  not  the 
crescent  moon.  I  am  following  the  Crescent  moon  now. 
The  Cross  is  the  Crescent  to  me!  " 

He  stood  as  rapt  for  a  moment,  then  disappeared. 

"  Selim  is  as  a  parable  of  life  to  me,"  said  Governor 
Page.  "  He  is  always  willing  to  sacrifice  himself  for  an- 
other or  for  a  principle." 

k'  His  head  is  not  right?  "  asked  Jefferson. 

"  But  his  heart  is  right." 

"  How  can  you  know?  " 

"  Did  he  not  follow  me  all  the  way  to  Philadelphia 
when  I  was  a  member  of  the  Congress?  " 

"  His  heart  is  right,"  said  Jefferson.  "  Say  what  we 
will,  think  what  we  may,  there  is  true  nobility  in  every 
man.  I  am  glad  to  have  his  example  to  verify  my  own 
theory.    Selim  has  been  a  silent  help  to  us  all  in  this  cause." 

And  here  we  take  leave  of  Selim.  What  became  of 
him?  He  probably  died  in  advanced  years,  possibly  at  the 
windmill  at  Kosewell.  His  story  is  one  of  the  most  interest- 
ing of  the  old  plantation  legends.  Life  may  be  eloquent 
without  a  roof  or  words. 

We  like  to  meet  the  name  of  Governor  Page  for  his 
kind  care  of  Selim.  It  was  not  his  fault  that  Selim  slept 
in  the  windmill. 


CHAPTER  XLI 


POOR IMMORTAL 


Jefferson  had  given  his  life  to  mankind,  as  befitted 
the  author  of  the  preamble  of  the  Declaration.  He  had 
been  born  rich;  in  early  life  he  had  cantered  from  farm  to 
farm  of  his  own  estate,  even  eighty  miles  to  the  plantation 
of  the  Natural  Bridge. 

He  was  about  to  die  poor  now.     Why? 

In  the  office  of  the  presidency  he  had  given  himself  to 
the  public  service;  he  seems  never  to  have  thought  of 
himself. 

Near  the  4th  of  March,  1S09,  as  the  end  of  the  second 
term  of  his  presidency  was  drawing  near,  he  turned  to  him- 
self and  began  to  look  into  his  affairs.  To  his  horror  he 
found  that  he  had  been  running  heavily  in  debt.  He  asked 
for  a  loan  on  the  Richmond  bank,  and  of  this  he  said  to 
the  person  to  whom  he  thus  applied,  "  My  intervening  nights 
will  be  almost  sleepless,  as  nothing  could  be  more  distress- 
ing to  me  than  to  leave  the  capital  with  debts  unpaid." 

He  secured  the  loan,  but  when  he  rode  home  from 
Washington  the  specter  of  Poverty  rode  after  him.  The 
embargo,  a  measure  of  his  own  for  the  public  good,  had 
ruined  the  incomes  from  his  estates. 

He  was  so  generous  that  every  one  who  knew  him  and 
270 


POOR— IMMORTAL 


271 


had  small  resources  seemed  to  try  to  live  upon  him.  Captain 
Bacon,  who  managed  his  estates  for  him  for  many  years,  thus 
describes  the  condition  of  the  philosopher's  household  after 
his  retirement  from  public  life: 

"  After  Mr.  Jefferson  returned  from  Washington  he  was 
for  years  crowded  with  visitors,  and  they  almost  ate  him  out 
of  house  and  home.  They  were  there  all  times  of  the  year; 
but  about  the  middle  of  June  the  travel  would  commence 
from  the  lower  part  of  the  State  to  the  springs,  and  then 
there  was  a  perfect  throng  of  visitors.     They  traveled  in 


ijpllill 


Monticello,   the  home  of  Jefferson. 

their  own  carriages,  and  came  in  gangs — the  whole  family, 
with  carriage  and  riding  horses  and  servants — sometimes 
three  or  four  such  gangs  at  a  time.  "We  had  thirty-six  stalls 
for  horses,  and  only  used  about  ten  of  them  for  the  stock  we 
kept  there.  Very  often  all  the  rest  were  full,  and  I  had  to 
send  horses  off  to  another  place.  I  have  often  sent  a  wagon 
load  of  hay  up  to  the  stable  and  the  next  morning  there 
would  not  be  enough  left  to  make  a  hen's  nest.  I  have 
killed  a  fine  beef  and  it  would  all  be  eaten  in  a  day  or  two. 
There  was  no  tavern  in  all  that  country  that  had  so  much 


272  D*   THE   DAYS   OF   JEFFERSON 

company.  Mrs.  Randolph,  who  always  lived  with  Mr.  Jef- 
-  n  after  his  return  from  Washington  and  kept  house 
for  him.  was  very  often  greatly  perplexed  to  entertain  them. 
I  have  known  her  many  and  many  a  time  to  have  every  bed 
in  the  house  full.  I  finally  told  the  servant  who  had  charge 
of  the  stable  to  give  the  visitors'  horses  only  half  allowance. 
Somehow  or  other  Mr.  Jefferson  heard  of  this — I  never 
could  tell  how.  unless  it  was  through  some  of  the  visitors' 
servants.  He  countermanded  my  orders.  One  great  reason 
why  Mr.  Jefferson  built  his  house  at  Poplar  Forest,  in 
Bedford  County,  was  that  he  might  go  there  in  the  summer 
to  get  rid  of  entertaining  so  much  company.  He  knew  that 
it  more  than  used  up  all  his  income  from  the  plantation 
and  everything  else;  but  he  was  so  kind  and  polite  that  he 
received  all  his  visitors  with  a  smile,  and  made  them  wel- 
come. They  pretended  to  come  out  of  respect  and  regard 
to  him.  but  I  think  that  the  fact  that  they  saved  a  tavern 
bill  had  a  good  deal  to  do  with  it  with  a  good  many  of  them. 
I  can  assure  you  I  got  tired  of  seeing  them  come  and  wait- 
ing on  them." 

Hard  times  came  in  1819  end  1820.  Hi-  estates  shrank 
in  value.  Then  he  did  an  act  of  generosity  that  ruined  him. 
He  indorsed  a  note  for  a  friend,  hoping  to  save  him  from 
failure :  but  the  indorsement  did  not  save  him.  and  Jefferson 
faced  poverty. 

There  went  out  through  the  country  the  surprising  in- 
telligence that  the  author  of  the  Declaration  was  about  to 
lose  his  home.  Monticello.  which  had  been  gladdened  by  - 
many  thrilling  scenes  and  by  the  feet  of  illustrious  visitors! 
The  people's  hearts  united  in  sympathy  for  him  who  had 
impoverished   himself  for   others,    and   a   subscription  was 


POOR— IMMORTAL  273 

started  in  the  principal  cities  for  the  saving  of  the  moun- 
tain home.  The  roof  was  saved  to  him,  but  as  an  act  of 
charity. 

And  there  where  he  had  lived  for  mankind  death 
brought  to  him  his  summons  on  July  4,  1826. 

A  clock  stood  in  his  room  by  his  bed.  He  had  been 
accustomed  to  rise  as  soon  as  he  could  see  the  time  of  day 
by  the  coming  of  the  morning  light  on  the  clock's  face. 

During  the  still  night  of  July  3d  he  lay  dying.  If  he 
were  conscious  of  the  near  approach  of  death  he  listened 
to  the  ticking  of  the  clock  that  had  told  the  hours  for 
years.  The  pendulum  moved  to  and  fro,  to  and  fro,  and 
would  never  again  be  regulated  by  his  hand. 

Eleven  o'clock. 

One  of  the  young  members  of  the  family  was  watching 
by  his  side. 

lie  feared  that  the  patriot  would  expire  before  the 
Fourth,  and  watched  the  retreating  of  the  tide  of  life. 

Suddenly  Jefferson  aroused. 

"Is  it  the  Fourth?" 

"  Not  yet,  not  yet,"  said  his  relative. 

The  clock  of  Monticello  ticked  on.  The  magnolias  were 
still.  The  great  oak  spread  its  arms  over  the  graves  of  those 
the  patriot  had  loved  in  the  light  of  the  moon  and  stars. 

He  revived  again. 

"Is  it  the  Fourth?" 

The  hand  had  passed  the  hour  of  twelve.  The  watcher 
said: 

"It  is  the  Fourth!" 

The  dying  man's  face  lighted.  He  lingered  some  hours. 
At  twenty  minutes  to  one  in  the  afternoon  the  heart  stopped, 


274  IX   THE   DAYS   OF  JEFFERSON 

but  the  clock  of  Monticello  ticked  on,  beginning  his  years 
of  immortal  fame. 

They  laid  him  down  beside  his  beloved  wife  and  Dabney 
Carr. 

He  lives  forever;  the  marbles  will  ever  bloom  for  him; 
the  soul  of  the  Preamble  will  never  take  its  flight  from 
the  world  till  justice  shall  lead  the  world  to  peace  and 
peace  to  the  final  struggles  for  mankind  that  seek  only 
the  elevation  of  the  soul. 

He  died  poor,  but  few  men  ever  left  so  large  a  legacy 
to  mankind  as  farmer  Jefferson,  who  thought  of  himself 
last,  and  who  was  "  for  himself  nothing,  but  for  others  all." 

His  estate  would  not  pay  his  debts.  Happily  he  did  not 
know  it  as  he  listened  to  the  clock  for  the  last  time. 

*'  I  resign  my  soul  to  God  and  my  daughter  to  my 
country,'"  he  said  in  his  last  hours. 

The  legislatures  of  two  States  provided  for  his  penniless 
daughter.  She  had  the  whole  country  for  the  choice  of  a 
home.  All  doors  were  hers — the  "  preamble  "  included 
all.     She  had  only  to  say  "  I  am  the  daughter  of  Jefferson." 

One  thought,  and  we  are  done. 

Thomas  Jefferson,  when  a  young  man,  used  to  ask  in  mat- 
ters of  conscience,  "What  would  George  TVythe  have  done '" 

"When  President,  "  "What  would  Samuel  Adams  do?  " 

Reader,  to  preserve  American  institutions  you  must 
vote  your  conscience.  In  the  new  questions  that  will  arise, 
may  it  not  be  well  for  you  to  ask,  "  ^YTiat  would  Thomas 
Jefferson  have  done?  " 

He  voted  according  to  his  conscience  in  every  event,  as 
all  true  men  do,  and  as  you  must  do  if  you  would  fulfill 
the  ideals  of  the  Declaration. 


APPENDIX 

CHASTELLUX'S  DESCRIPTION   OP   MONTICELLO  . 

A  charming  picture  of  Monticello  and  its  inmates  at 
that  day  is  found  in  Travels  in  North  America,  by  the 
Marquis  de  Chastellux.  This  accomplished  French  noble- 
man visited  Jefferson  in  the  spring  of  1782.  After  describ- 
ing his  approach  to  the  foot  of  the  southwest  range  of 
mountains,  he  says: 

"  On  the  summit  of  one  of  them  we  discovered  the  house 
of  Mr.  Jefferson,  which  stands  pre-eminent  in  these  retire- 
ments. It  was  himself  who  built  it,  and  preferred  this 
situation;  for  although  he  possessed  considerable  property 
in  the  neighborhood,  there  was  nothing  to  prevent  him  from 
fixing  his  residence  wherever  he  thought  proper.  But  it 
was  a  debt  Nature  owed  to  a  philosopher  and  a  man  of 
taste  that  in  his  own  possessions  he  should  find  a  spot  where 
he  might  best  study  and  enjoy  her.  He  calls  his  house 
Monticello  (in  Italian,  Little  Mountain),  a  very  modest  title, 
for  it  is  situated  upon  a  very  lofty  one,  but  which  announces 
the  owner's  attachment  to  the  language  of  Italy,  and,  above 
all,  to  the  fine  arts,  of  which  that  country  was  the  cradle 
and  is  still  the  asylum.  As  I  had  no  further  occasion  for  a 
19  275 


276  EN  THE   DAYS   OF  JEFFERSON 

guide  I  separated  from  the  Irishman,  and  after  ascending 
by  a  tolerably  commodious  road  for  more  than  half  an  hour 
we  arrived  at  Alontieello.  This  house,  of  which  Mr.  Jef- 
ferson was  the  architect,  and  often  one  of  the  workmen,  is 
rather  elegant,  and  in  the  Italian  taste,  though  not  without 
fault.  It  consists  of  one  large  square  pavilion,  the  entrance 
of  which  is  by  two  porticoes,  ornamented  with  pillars.  The 
ground  floor  consists  of  a  very  large  lofty  saloon,  which  is 
to  be  decorated  entirely  in  the  antique  style;  above  it  is  a 
library  of  the  same  form;  two  small  wings,  with  only  a 
ground  floor  and  attic  story,  are  joined  to  this  pavilion,  and 
communicate  with  the  kitchen,  offices,  etc.,  which  will  form 
a  kind  of  basement  story,  over  which  runs  a  terrace. 

"  My  object  in  this  short  description  is  only  to  show  the 
difference  between  this  and  the  other  houses  of  the  country; 
for  we  may  safely  aver  that  Mr.  Jefferson  is  the  first  Ameri- 
can who  has  consulted  the  fine  arts  to  know  how  he  should 
shelter  himself  from  the  weather. 

"  But  it  is  on  himself  alone  I  ought  to  bestow  my  time. 
Let  me  describe  to  you  a  man,  not  yet  forty,  tall  and  with 
a  mild  and  pleasing  countenance,  but  whose  mind  and  under- 
standing are  ample  substitutes  for  every  exterior  grace.  An 
American,  who,  without  ever  having  quitted  his  own  coun- 
try, is  at  <aice  a  musician,  skilled  in  drawing,  a  geometrician, 
an  astronomer,  a  natural  philosopher,  legislator,  and  states- 
man. A  Senator  of  America,  who  sat  for  two  years  in  that 
body  which  brought  about  the  Revolution,  and  which  is 
never  mentioned  without  respect,  though  unhappily  not  with- 
out regret;  a  Governor  of  Virginia,  who  filled  this  difficult 
station  during  the  invasions  of  Arnold,  of  Phillips,  and  of 
Cornwallis;  a  philosopher,  in  voluntary  retirement  from  the 


APPENDIX  277 

world  and  public  business  because  he  loves  the  world,  inas- 
much only  as  he  can  flatter  himself  with  being  useful  to 
mankind,  and  the  minds  of  his  countrymen  are  not  yet  in 
a  condition  either  to  bear  the  light  or  suffer  contradiction. 
A  mild  and  amiable  wife,  charming  children,  of  whose  edu- 
cation he  himself  takes  charge,  a  house  to  embellish,  great 
provisions  to  improve,  and  the  arts  and  sciences  to  cultivate 
— these  are  what  remain  to  Mr.  Jefferson,  after  having 
played  a  principal  character  on  the  theater  of  the  New 
World,  and  which  he  preferred  to  the  honorable  commission 
of  minister  plenipotentiary  in  Europe. 

"  The  visit  which  I  made  him  was  not  unexpected,  for 
he  had  long  since  invited  me  to  come  and  pass  a  few  days 
with  him  in  the  center  of  the  mountains;  notwithstanding 
which  I  found  his  appearance  serious,  nay,  even  cold;  but 
before  I  had  been  two  hours  with  him  we  were  as  intimate 
as  if  we  had  passed  our  whole  lives  together :  walking,  books, 
but,  above  all,  a  conversation  always  varied  and  interesting, 
always  supported  by  the  sweet  satisfaction  experienced  by 
two  persons  who,  in  communicating  their  sentiments  and 
opinions,  are  invariably  in  unison,  and  who  understand  each 
other  at  the  first  hint,  made  four  days  pass  away  like  so 
many  minutes. 

"  This  conformity  of  opinions  and  sentiments  on  which  I 
insist  because  it  constitutes  my  own  eulogium  (and  self-love 
must  somewhere  show  itself) — this  conformity,  I  say,  was  so 
perfect  that  not  only  our  taste  was  similar,  but  our  predilec- 
tions also;  those  partialities  which  cold,  methodical  minds 
ridicule  as  enthusiastic,  while  sensible  and  animated  ones 
cherish  and  adopt  the  glorious  appellation.  I  recollect  with 
pleasure  that  as  we  were  conversing  over  a  bowl  of  punch, 


278  IN   THE   DAYS   OF   JEFFERSON 

after  Mrs.  Jefferson  had  retired,  our  conversation  turned  on 
the  poems  of  Ossian.  It  was  a  spark  of  electricity  which 
passed  rapidly  from  one  to  the  other:  we  recollected  the  pas- 
sages in  those  sublime  poems  which  particularly  struck  us, 
and  entertained  my  fellow-travelers,  who  fortunately  knew 
English  well,  and  were  qualified  to  judge  of  their  merits, 
though  they  had  never  read  the  poems.  In  our  enthusiasm 
the  book  was  sent  for,  and  placed  near  the  bowl,  where,  by 
their  mutual  aid,  the  night  far  advanced  imperceptibly 
upon  us. 

••  Sometimes  natural  philosophy,  at  others  politics  or  the 
arts,  were  the  topic?  of  our  conversation,  for  no  object  had 
escaped  Mr.  Jefferson:  and  it  seemed  as  if  from  his  youth 
he  had  placed  his  mind,  as  he  had  done  his  house,  on  an 
elevated  situation,  from  which  he  might  contemplate  the 
universe. 

"  Mr.  Jefferson,"  continues  the  Marquis.  "  amused  him- 
self by  raising  a  score  of  these  animals  [deer]  in  his  park; 
they  are  become  very  familiar,  which  happens  to  all  the 
animals  of  America,  for  they  are  in  general  much  easier  to 
tame  than  those  of  Europe.  He  amuses  himself  by  feeding 
them  with  Indian  corn,  of  which  they  are  very  fond,  and 
which  they  eat  out  of  his  hand.  I  followed  him  one  even- 
ing into  a  deep  valley,  where  they  are  accustomed  to  as- 
semble toward  the  close  of  the  day,  and  saw  them  walk,  run, 
and  bound;  but  the  more  I  examined  their  paces  the  less  I 
was  inclined  to  annex  them  to  any  particular  specie-  in 
Europe.     Mr.  Jefferson  being  no  sportsman,  and  not  having 

ased  the  seas,  could  have  no  decided  opinion  on  this  part 
of  natural  history;  but  he  has  not  neglected  the  other 
branches. 


APPENDIX  279 

"  I  saw  with  pleasure  that  he  had  applied  himself  par- 
ticularly to  meteorological  observation,  which,  in  fact,  of 
all  the  branches  of  philosophy,  is  the  most  proper  for  Ameri- 
cans to  cultivate,  from  the  extent  of  their  country  and  the 
variety  of  their  situation,  which  gives  them  in  this  point 
a  great  advantage  over  us,  who,  in  other  respects,  have  so 
many  over  them.-  Mr.  Jefferson  has  made  with  Mr.  Madi- 
son, a  well-informed  Professor  of  Mathematics,  some  corre- 
spondent observations  on  the  reigning  winds  at  Williams- 
burg and  Monticello." 

JEFFERSON'S  REVIEW  OF  HIS  EARLY  LIFE 

"  In  1769  I  became  a  member  of  the  Legislature  by  the 
choice  of  the  county  in  which  I  live,  and  so  continued  until 
it  was  closed  by  the  Revolution.  I  made  one  effort  in  that 
body  for  the  permission  of  the  emancipation  of  slaves,  which 
was  rejected;  and  indeed,  during  the  regal  government, 
nothing  liberal  could  expect  success.  Our  minds  were  cir- 
cumscribed within  narrow  limits  by  an  habitual  belief  that 
it  was  our  duty  to  be  subordinate  to  the  mother  country  in 
all  matters  of  government,  to  direct  all  our  labors  in  sub- 
servience to  her  interests,  and  even  to  observe  a  bigoted  in- 
tolerance for  all  religions  but  hers.  The  difficulties  with 
our  representatives  were  of  habit  and  despair,  not  of  reflec- 
tion and  conviction.  Experience  soon  proved  that  they 
could  bring  their  minds  to  rights  on  the  first  summons  of 
their  attention.  But  the  King's  Council,  which  acted  as 
another  house  of  legislature,  held  their  places  at  will,  and 
were  in  most  humble  obedience  to  that  will;  the  Governor 
too,  who  had  a  negative  on  our  laws,  held  by  the  same 


280  IN  THE  DAYS  OF  JEFFERSON 

tenure,  and  with  still  greater  devotedness  to  it;  and,  last  of 
all,  the  royal  negative  closed  the  last  door  to  every  hope  of 
amelioration. 

"  On  the  1st  of  January,  1772,  I  was  married  to  Martha 
Skelton,  a  widow  of  Bathurst  Skelton,  and  daughter  of  John 
Wayles,  then  twenty-three  years  old.  Mr.  Wayles  was  a 
lawyer  of  much  practice,  to  which  he  was  introduced  more 
by  his  great  industry,  punctuality,  and  practical  readiness 
than  by  eminence  in  the  science  of  his  profession.  lie  was 
a  most  agreeable  companion,  full  of  pleasantry  and  good 
humor,  and  welcomed  in  every  society.  He  acquired  a  hand- 
some fortune,  and  died  in  May,  1773,  leaving  three  daugh- 
ters; the  portion  which  came  on  that  event  to  Mrs.  Jeffer- 
son, after  the  debts  should  be  paid,  which  were  very  consid- 
erable, was  about  equal  to  my  patrimony,  and  consequently 
doubled  the  ease  of  our  circumstances. 

"  In  the  spring  of  1760  I  went  to  William  and  Mary 
College,  where  I  continued  two  years.  It  was  my  great 
good  fortune,  and  what  probably  fixed  the  destinies  of  my 
life,  that  Dr.  William  Small,  of  Scotland,  was  then  Pro- 
fessor of  Mathematics,  a  man  profound  in  most  of  the  useful 
branches  of  science,  with  a  happy  talent  of  communication, 
correct  and  gentlemanly  manners,  and  an  enlarged  and  lib- 
eral mind.  He,  most  happily  for  me,  became  soon  attached 
to  me,  and  made  me  his  daily  companion  when  not  engaged 
in  the  school;  and  from  his  conversation  I  got  my  first 
views  of  the  expansion  of  science,  and  of  the  system  of 
things  in  which  we  are  placed.  Fortunately,  the  philo- 
sophical chair  became  vacant  soon  after  my  arrival  at  col- 
lege, and  he  was  appointed  to  fill  it  per  interim;  and  he 
was  the  first  who  ever  gave  in  that  college  regular  lectures 


APPENDIX  281 

in  ethics,  rhetoric,  and  belles-lettres.  He  returned  to  Eu- 
rope in  1762,  having  previously  filled  up  the  measure  of  his 
goodness  to  me  by  procuring  for  me,  from  his  most  intimate 
friend  George  Wythe,  a  reception  as  a  student  of  law,  under 
his  direction,  and  introduced  me  to  the  acquaintance  and 
familiar  table  of  Governor  Fauquier,  the  ablest  man  who 
had  ever  filled  that  office.  With  him  and  at  his  table,  Dr. 
Small  and  Dr.  Wythe,  his  amid  om?iium  horarum,  and  my- 
self, formed  a  partie  quarre,  and  to  the  habitual  conversa- 
tions on  these  occasions  I  owed  much  instruction.  Mr. 
Wythe  continued  to  be  my  faithful  and  beloved  mentor  in 
youth,  and  my  most  affectionate  friend  through  life.  In 
1767  he  led  me  into  the  practice  of  law  at  the  bar  of  the 
general  court,  at  which  I  continued  until  the  Revolution 
shut  up  the  courts  of  justice. 

:t  When  the  famous  resolutions  of  1765  against  the 
Stamp  Act  were  proposed  I  was  yet  a  student  of  law  in  Wil- 
liamsburg. I  attended  the  debate,  however,  at  the  door  of 
the  lobby  of  the  House  of  Burgesses,  and  heard  the  splendid 
display  of  Mr.  Henry's  talents  as  a  popular  orator.  They 
were  great  indeed — such  as  I  have  never  heard  from  any 
other  man.  He  appeared  to  me  to  speak  as  Homer  wrote. 
Mr.  Johnson,  a  lawyer,  and  member  from  the  Northern 
Neck,  seconded  the  resolutions,  and  by  him  the  learning  and 
logic  of  the  case  were  chiefly  maintained.  My  recollections 
of  these  transactions  may  be  seen  on  page  60  of  the  Life  of 
Patrick  Henry,  by  Wirt,  to  whom  I  furnished  them." 

If  the  reader  would  like  to  follow  this  interesting  period 
more  closely,  we  would  refer  him  to  the  eloquent  Wirt. 


282  ™   THE   DAYS   OF  JEFFERSON 

JEFFERSON'S   MAXIMS 

TO    THOMAS    JEEFEESOX    SMITH 
(Written  shortly  before  his  death) 

This  letter  will,  to  yon,  be  as  one  from  the  dead.     The 
writer  will  be  in  the  grave  before  yon  can  weigh  its  counsels. 

Your  affectionate  and  excellent  father  has  requested  that 
I  would  address  to  yon  something  which  might  possibly  have 
a  favorable  influence  on  the  course  of  life  yon  have  to  run; 
and  I  too.  as  a  namesake,  feel  an  interest  in  that  course. 
Few  words  will  be  necessary,  with  good  dispositions  on  your 
part.  Adore  God.  Reverence  and  cherish  your  parents. 
Love  your  neighbor  as  yourself,  and  your  country  more  than 
yourself.  Be  just.  Be  true.  Murmur  not  at  the  ways  of 
Providence.  So  shall  the  life  into  which  you  have  entered 
be  the  portal  to  one  of  eternal  and  ineffable  bliss.  And  if 
to  the  dead  it  is  permitted  to  care  for  the  things  of  this 
world,  every  action  uf  your  life  will  be  under  my  regard. 
Farewell. 

Monticello.  February  01.  1825 

THE    POETRAIT    OF    A    GOOD    MAX    BY    THE    MOST    SEE-LIME 
OF    POETS.    FOE    YOUB    IMTTATIOX 

Lord,  who's  the  happy  man  that  may  to  thy  blest  courts 

repair — 
Not  strangerlike  to  visit  them,  but  to  inhabit  thei 

'Tis  he  whose  every  thought  and  deed  by  rules  of  virtue 

moves ; 
Whose  generous  tongue  disdains  to  speak  the  thing  his  heart 

disproves. 


APPENDIX  283 

Who '  never  did   a  slander  forge,  his  neighbor's  fame  to 

wound ; 
Nor  hearken  to  a  false  report  by  malice  whispered  round. 

Who  vice  in  all  its  pomp  and  power  can  treat  with  just 

neglect; 
And  piety,  though  clothed  in  rags,  religiously  respect. 

Who  to  his  plighted  vows  and  trust  has  ever  firmly  stood; 
And  though  he  promise  to  his  loss,  he  makes  his  promise 
good. 

Whose  soul  in  usury  disdains  his  treasure  to  employ; 
Whom  no  rewards  can  ever  bribe  the  guiltless  to  destroy. 

The  man  who,  by  this  steady  course,  has  happiness  insured, 
When  earth's  foundations  shake,  shall  stand  by  Providence 
secured. 

A    DECALOGUE    OF    CANONS    FOR    OBSERVATION    IN 
PRACTICAL    LIFE 

1.  Never  put  off  till  to-morrow  what  you  can  do  to-day. 

2.  Never  trouble  another  for  what  you  can  do  yourself. 

3.  Never  spend  your  money  before  you  have  it. 

4.  Never  buy  what  you  do  not  want  because  it  is  cheap; 
it  will  be  clear  to  you. 

5.  Pride  costs  us  more  than  hunger,  thirst,  and  cold. 

6.  We  never  repent  of  having  eaten  too  little. 

7.  Nothing  is  troublesome  that  we  do  willingly. 

8.  How  much  pain  have  cost  us  the  evils  which  have 
never  happened. 

9.  Take  things  always  by  their  smooth  handle. 


L>s4  IN  THE   DAYS   OF  JEFFERSON 

10.  When  angry,  count  ten  before  you  speak:  if  very 
angry,  a  hundred. 

JEFFEESOx's    INSCRIPTION    FOR    THE    TOMB    OF    DABXEV    CAER 

Here  lie  the  remains  of 

Dabney  Care. 

Son  of  John  and  Jane  Carr,  of  Louisa  County. 

Who  was  born  ,  1744. 

Intermarried  with  Martha  Jefferson,  daughter  of  Peter 

And  Jane  Jefferson,  1765; 

And  died  at  Charlottesville,  May  16,  177^. 

Leaving  six  small  children. 

To  his  Virtue,  Good  Sense.  Learning,  and  Friendship 

this  stone  is  dedicated  by  Thomas  Jefferson,  who,  of  all  men 

living,  loved  him  most. 


THE    END 


A    UNIQUE    BOOK. 


"For  children,  parents,  teachers,  and  all  who  are  interested 
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intended  to  assist  the  imagination  of  child-readers." 


D.      APPLETON     AND     COMPANY,     NEW     YORK 


A    STORY    OF    SCHOOL,   FOOTBALL, 
AND    GOLF. 


The  Half-Back. 

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life. 


RALPH    HENRY    BARBOUR. 


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FRANK   M.   CHAPMAN'S    BOOKS, 
Bird  Studies  with  a  Camera. 

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Bird  Photographer.  By  Frank  M.  Chapman,  Assistant  Curator 
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Handbook  of  Birds  of  Eastern  North  America. 

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FOR  NATURE   LOVERS  AND  ANGLERS. 

Familiar  Fish:    Their   Habits  and 
Capture. 

A  Practical  Book  on  Fresh- Water  Game  Fish. 
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The  Hero  of  Manila. 

Dewey  on  the  Mississippi  and  the  Pacific.  By  Rossiter  Johnson, 
author  of  "Phaeton  Rogers,"  "A  History  of  the  War  of 
Secession,"  etc.  Illustrated  by  B.  West  Clinedinst  and  Others. 
A  new  book  in  the  Young  Heroes  of  our  Navy  Series. 

"A  complete  biography  up  to  date.  The  aid  of  fiction  has  only  occasion- 
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By  James  Barnes,  author  of  "For  King  or  Country,"  etc. 
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THE  LIBRARY  OF  USEFUL  STORIES. 

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NOW  READY. 
The   Story  of  the   Alphabet.     By  Edward  Clodd. 

The  Story  of  Eclipses.    By  G.  F.  chambers. 
The  Story  of  the  Living  Machine.    By  h.  w.  Conn. 
The  Story  of  the  British  Race.    By  John  munro,  c.  e. 
The  Story  of  Geographical  Discovery.     By  Joseph 

Jacobs. 
The  Story  of  the  Cotton  Plant.  By  F.  Wilkinson,  F.G.S. 
The   Story   of  the    Mind.     By  Prof.  J.  Mark  Baldwin. 
The   Story   Of   Photography.      By  Alfred  T.  Story. 

The  Story  of  Life  in  the  Seas.    By  Sidney  j.  hickson. 

The  Story  of  Germ  Life.    By  Prof.  h.  w.  conn. 

The  Story  of  the  Earth's  Atmosphere.    By  Doug- 
las Archibald. 

The  Story  of  Extinct  Civilizations  of  the  East. 

By  Robert  Anderson,  M.  A.,  F.  A.  S. 

The  Story  of  Electricity.    By  John  Munro,  c.  e. 
The  Story  of  a  Piece  of  Coal.   By  e.  a.  martin,  f.g.s. 
The  Story  of  the  Solar  System.    By  c.  f.  Chambers, 

F.  R.  A.  S. 

The  Story  of  the  Earth.    By  h.  g.  Seeley,  f.r.s. 

The  Story  of  the  Plants.    By  grant  Allen. 

The  Story  of  "  Primitive  "  Man.    By  Edward  Clodd. 

The  Story  of  the  Stars.     By  G.  F.  Chambers,  f.  r.  a.  s. 
others  in  preparation. 

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